Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants to make sure Ohioans voters cannot vote in an effort to make it easier to sue police over allegations of misconduct. Yost is taking this fight to the United States Supreme Court. 

The measure was proposed by Youngstown native Cynthia Brown, and has been rejected repeatedly by Yost over what he calls "misleading" ballot language. 

The request to the Supreme Court came hours after an appeals court ruled that Yost was likely violating Brown's constitutional rights. 

Court papers read“...we agree with the district court that Plaintiffs' First Amendment rights were likely violated here…”

Ohio law allows anyone wanting to place an issue on a ballot to do so by getting a written petition signed by one thousand qualified electors, submitting the proposed law or constitutional amendment, a title and a summary of it to the attorney general for examination.

Brown got around 413,000 valid voter signatures to add an amendment to the ballot repealing qualified immunity. Qualified immunity shields public officials, like law enforcement, from being personally liable in a lawsuit.

Since 2021, Brown says she has repeatedly submitted summary language for the amendment proposal to Yost. Despite making the changes asked, Yost, a vocal supporter of qualified immunity, still rejected it. 

“It was rejected like 10 times. It was rejected for any little minor error like a spelling or a word. It's, like judge Graham said, he became an antagonistic copywriter,” said Brown. 

Brown also feels the feedback was inconsistent.

“We submitted 'Protecting Ohioans Constitutional Rights', that same title, seven prior times. On the eighth time, it was the title,” said Brown.

This decision allows Brown to continue her campaign. 

“Let the voters vote. Because he is depriving not only us as a committee, all Ohioans who want to see the very important issue on the ballot,” said Brown.

The Attorney General's office stands by its rejections. Bethany McCorkle a spokesperson for the Ohio Attorney General’s office, gave 21 News the following statement:

“We’re defending Ohio’s right to establish an initiative system built on ‘trust but verify,’ not ‘circulate and hope they don’t lie.’ That’s an entirely reasonable and appropriate thing for an attorney general to do.”