The Ohio Supreme Court heard oral arguments today to determine whether inclusion of a prison privatization measure in state budget legislation violates the Ohio Constitution’s one subject rule. The case is State ex rel. Ohio Civil Service Employees Association v. State , Ohio Supreme Court case no. 2014-0319. (Docket, Oral Argument Preview). Also at issue is whether the Court of Appeals could order the trial court to conduct an evidentiary hearing to review each of the budget bill’s provisions to determine whether the bill violates the one-subject rule and to sever any parts. Defendant-Appellant State of Ohio asserts that this order by the Court of Appeals results in “judicial line item vetoes”, in violation of the Ohio Constitution.
See our prior post Ohio Supreme Court to Hear One Subject Rule Case re. Prison Privatization
Also see Charlotte Observer, Fight over sale of state prison heard at Ohio Supreme Court
