Ohio Supreme Court chief justice seeks funding for Legal Aid

The chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court has asked Ohio lawmakers to reject President Donald Trump's request that they end federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation, the federal agency that funds Legal Aid.

News Story (Ohio)

Tom Jackson
Sandusky Register (OH)
April 11, 2017
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Tags: Funding: Federal

Organizations mentioned/involved: Legal Services Corporation (LSC)


DETAILS

Legal Aid provides help in civil cases to people who cannot afford a lawyer, including battered women seeking protection orders and tenants facing eviction. The agency has an office in downtown Sandusky.

“Providing access to a fair and impartial justice system is a fundamental obligation of government and a fundamental right of all,” wrote Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, in a March 31 letter to Ohio’s two U.S. senators and 16 U.S. House members. “The defunding of the LSC would deprive the very people most in need of help in gaining access to our justice system.”

She added, “Equally important, it sends a very dangerous message to the rest of society: That the rule of law is really not all that important, and that you can only get access to the system if you can afford it. Many Ohioans simply cannot.”