Three appeals court judges will decide whether unemployed Ohioans should get $300 in additional weekly checks, a benefit Gov. Mike DeWine ended last month, though the federal program runs through September 6.
Three judges, Democrats Michael Mentel and Terri Jamison and Republican Lisa Sadler, on the 10th District Court of Appeals heard from a group that claimed state law requires that DeWine accept that federal assistance or that lawmakers vote to reject it.
The panel also heard from the state’s assistant attorney general, who said there’s nothing in state or federal law that entitled unemployed Ohioans to those weekly checks.
A Republican Franklin County judge wrote last month he was sympathetic to the unemployed workers, but there was no obligation on DeWine to accept the money.
Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann represents the group, and says as many as 200,000 Ohioans could get the checks if his side prevails.
Dann wasn’t in court for the hearing because he recently tested positive for COVID.
No word on when a decision might come down.
Ohio is among the 26 states ending the program early, and most of them are run by Republicans.
