Ohio floats unconstitutional plan to limit crowdfunding

Criminal defendants have a right to a fair trial. That even includes those who we strongly suspect are guilty.

But some Ohio officials want to change all that. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, wants to make crowdfunding efforts for criminal suspects illegal. Remember, these are only suspects - not those who have actually been convicted.

Some of the crowdfunding campaigns that would be banned aren't just for legal costs but also the defendants' families.

A law against these crowdfunding campaigns would of course be unconstitutional. We've lamented the mollycoddling of known violent criminals, but a law like this shreds due process to unrecognizable scraps.

GoFundMe reportedly banned such campaigns for criminal defendants several years ago, following pressure by the media for stiff punishments for those who violated COVID lockdowns, but Ohio's new law would force all crowdfunding sites to have such a policy.

Ohio lawmakers are already working on a bill to do Yost's bidding.