Constitution of California

Ohio's 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus unanimously ruled Thursday that the state's two largest private-school voucher programs, EdChoice and EdChoice-Expansion, violate the Ohio Constitution. The three-judge panel upheld a June 2025 lower court decision finding the programs conflict with the constitutional requirement that the General Assembly maintain "a thorough and efficient system of common schools" statewide.

A coalition of roughly 300 Ohio school districts had sued, arguing the voucher programs, which account for most of the state's $1 billion annual voucher budget, divert resources from public schools while funding private schools subject to far less state oversight. The court found those private schools cherry-pick students and are geographically concentrated in urban areas.

The panel stayed its own ruling, so vouchers remain in effect as the state is expected to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, where Republican-appointed justices hold a six-to-one majority. The outcome could reshape school funding debates and voucher policy nationally ahead of the 2026 elections.

California lawmakers have passed AB 2599, sponsored by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, which would require businesses operating in the state with more than $100 million in annual worldwide revenue — and whose company or predecessor existed on or before December 31, 1964 — to file a sworn affidavit disclosing any historical ties to slavery. Firms would have to search their own records and those of related entities for evidence of buying, selling, or insuring enslaved people, using them as collateral, or financing such transactions. California's Civil Rights Department would later publish the affidavits on a public digital platform. The bill now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom's signature and legislative funding.

Critics argue the mandate places historical research burdens on private companies rather than public institutions, adding to California's regulatory and compliance costs. The bill arrives amid data showing sustained corporate headquarters departures from California, a $18.5 billion projected state budget deficit for 2026-27, and recent net job losses, fueling debate over the state's business climate even as lawmakers advance additional measures like a proposal to add Eid holidays to the state calendar.