The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously dismissed a Trumbull County judge's lawsuit challenging the state's abortion rights amendment.
Trumbull County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division Court Judge David Engler, a Republican, asked the Ohio Supreme Court to block a portion or all of the reproductive rights language that voters approved 57%-43% in 2023.
Engler contended that the amendment blocked him from weighing in on whether minors can obtain abortions if their parents object to them, a concept called judicial bypass.
In April, Engler suedOhio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, then-Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and the Ohio Ballot Board, which approves the language Ohioans read on their ballots.
In response, the public officials asked the Ohio
Supreme Court to dismiss the case. They contended that Engler lacked legal standing to file the lawsuit and that he filed it too late.
They also argued that the voter-approved language in the Ohio Constitution would trump state laws on judicial bypass proceedings. "The constitutional provision prevails over any conflicting statute," their attorneys wrote.
The Ohio Supreme Court agreed and dismissed the case in a unanimous decision. They did not issue an opinion explaining their rationale.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Supreme Court dismisses legal challenge to abortion rights amendment
