Huffman Earns “F” on Constitutional Law: Wrongly Says Lawmakers Compelled to Fund Religious Schools

July 22, 2025

At a press conference on Monday announcing the state will appeal a recent ruling that Ohio’s EdChoice private school voucher program is unconstitutional on three counts, House Speaker Matt Huffman said lawmakers are compelled by the Ohio Constitution to fund private, religious schools.

Compelled!

Our attorneys proved within a matter of minutes that Huffman was wrong. In fact, the passage Huffman misquoted from the Ohio Constitution had already been clarified by the Ohio Supreme Court in two cases: one in 1872 and the other in 1945.

Here is what Bill Phillis, the Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding’s Executive Director, had to say about Matt Huffman’s error.

“To put it politely, Mr. Huffman was mistaken in stating that the Ohio Constitution “compels” the legislature to fund religious schools and education. He shortchanged the public in his statement today by not citing the first part of the passage he referenced.”

“Mr. Huffman failed to read the part in this same section that states…”No person shall be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or maintain any form of worship, against his consent; and no preference shall be given, by law, to any religious society.”

Dan Heintz, a Vouchers Hurt Ohio steering committee member, Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board member and teacher at Chardon City Schools, said:

“Mr. Huffman is wrong and if he was a student in my high school history class, I would be compelled to give him an “F” for a partial and misleading answer. If lawmakers were compelled to fund religious schools for the past 150 years, why did it take them more than 110 years to get started?”

Huffman appeared at a press conference with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Yitz Frank, School Choice Ohio, Aaron Baer, Center for Christian Virtue, state Rep. Jamie Callender, and Tom Fischer with Indiana’s EdChoice Legal Advocates. Fischer was there because an attorney for the Institute for Justice couldn’t make it. Yikes!

The stated reason was to announce the state would file an appeal. Yost gave zero details on the appeal.

The real reason they held the press conference? They are sweating bullets that all these stories that the EdChoice voucher scheme has been ruled unconstitutional may lead to parents not seeking vouchers.

They looked nervous, scared and once again they have not come up with one legal argument to justify spending $1.5 billion in tax dollars for private, primarily religious schools.

History and the Ohio Constitution is on our side.

Is your district part of our historic lawsuit? Check here.

If not, why not. Learn how to join here.

Sincerely,

Vouchers Hurt Ohio