Antonio Responds to Letter and Opinion Article from Attorney General Yost

Last week, Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) responded to a letter Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sent to members of the General Assembly and his opinion article published in the Cincinnati Enquirer. In the opinion article, Attorney General Yost claimed that a petition by students at Xavier University to remove Ohio Supreme Court Justice Joe Deters as the university’s Justice in Residence is an example of “trampling free speech, and forcing doctrinaire points of view.”

“I, for one, do not agree that when faculty or students from an academic institution voice their disagreement or objection to seating a Justice in Residence, in this case, Joe Deters at the Xavier campus, that this somehow serves as a trampling of free speech,” Antonio said in her letter. “To the contrary, I believe it is refreshing to witness citizens exercising their First Amendment right to free speech, especially when there is disagreement with a public figure who, in their words, ‘his views, past comments, and actions are antithetical to our Jesuit values.’”

Speaking about her letter, Leader Antonio criticized Attorney General Yost’s decision to publicly denounce the affairs of Xavier University students.

“While everyone is entitled to their opinion, it’s disappointing to see the Ohio Attorney General stoop to such language and tone in his communication,” Antonio said. “It’s crucial that our elected officials uphold the dignity of their positions and engage in constructive dialogue. For the Ohio Attorney General to stoop so low is inappropriate. My question is — why is he even weighing in on this issue? Are there not more pressing matters for our Attorney General to be dealing with than this? I think so.”

Justice Deters was appointed Xavier University’s Justice in Residence in February of this year. As of May 31st, 2023, almost 800 students had signed the petition calling for his removal.

Read the full letter here.