LISA FORBES “WORDS HAVE COMMON MEANINGS” AD
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Ad text: Lisa Forbes says, “Two recent decisions by the Ohio Supreme Court have just shaken me to my core. The first concluded that boneless, as in boneless chicken wings, is just a cooking style, and the second decided that reverse gerrymandering is the exact same thing as gerrymandering. I didn’t think that’s what those words meant. Let’s look it up. The dictionary says boneless means without bones and reverse means the contrary or opposite. If the current majority on the Ohio Supreme Court can redefine words like boneless and reverse, what are they going to do with the words ‘Reproductive Freedom Amendment’?”
Words on screen: Let’s not find out. Forbes for Justice.
The accompanying Instagram post reads: “I’ve always believed that words have common meanings that we all share. But recent decisions by the current majority on the Ohio Supreme Court have shaken me to my core.”
Who's responsible for this ad?
This is a traditional candidate ad paid for by the Forbes for Justice committee. From Jan. 2023 to September 2024, Lisa Forbes’ campaign committee has received over half a million dollars ($729,161.55 including monetary and in-kind donations). In the September 2024 report, her campaign reported having $607,498 available to spend in the race. To see contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Examine top donations here.
Discussion and Analysis
Context provided by Catherine Turcer, Executive Director, and Mia Lewis, Associate Director, Common Cause Ohio
This ad highlights two recent Ohio Supreme Court rulings that hinge on what words mean. In July 2024, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled against a man who was injured as the result of ingesting bones in chicken wings at a restaurant that were described as “boneless.” Justice Joe Deters wrote the majority decision that determined that “boneless wings” are a cooking style and not a guarantee that there would not be bones in the food. Columnist Marilou Johanek described the decision as “head-scratching” and it became fodder for late-night comics.
Forbes also calls attention to another case that has drawn a great deal of scrutiny, the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision to approve ballot language that says that the Citizens Not Politicians amendment would “establish a taxpayer-funded commission of appointees that would be “required to gerrymander.”
The amendment states that it bans gerrymandering and the summary approved by Attorney General Dave Yost says that the amendment bans gerrymandering.
The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision hinges on a metric intended to rein in gerrymandering, proportionality (sometimes called representational fairness). The majority determined that this was “reverse gerrymandering.” The candidate points out that “reverse” means “contrary or opposite.” Or “not gerrymandering.”
Forbes notes that the Ohio Supreme Court will soon rule on reproductive rights. In 2023, a solid majority of Ohioans voted to enshrine reproductive rights in the Ohio Constitution. However, the legal battles aren’t over. The Ohio Supreme Court will be the ultimate arbiter of the meaning of the Ohio Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety amendment.