Columbus Dispatch: Trump legal aid cuts will slow courts, increase costs, former Ohio AGs say | Opinion
Betty Montgomery, Jim Petro, Nancy Rogers and Rocky Saxbe; Guest Columnists
Former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery is Of Counsel to Mac Murray & Shuster in Columbus, where she helps clients navigate regulatory compliance. She previously served in elected office for 26 years, including as Ohio Auditor of State and State Senator.
James M. Petro is a former Ohio Attorney General and State Auditor. He was the first attorney general to intervene in an Innocence Project case, helping exonerate a man wrongly convicted of murder.
Nancy Rogers is a former Ohio Attorney General and former Dean of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Charles "Rocky" Saxbe is a partner emeritus at Taft. He served four terms in the Ohio House of Representatives.
If Congress moves forward with President Donald Trump’s plan to eliminate Legal Services Corp. funding, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) would lose critical resources, and many Ohioans would be left without legal support in moments of need.For more than 50 years, Legal Aid has provided essential services to Ohioans who cannot afford an attorney. Nearly a quarter of LASCO’s funding comes from LSC. If this funding is eliminated, thousands will lose access to legal help in their most vulnerable moments — forcing more people to navigate the courts alone, straining the system and increasing costs. When people lack legal help, cases take longer, courts get more backlogged, and judges spend more time explaining basic procedures.
As lawyers and former state officials, we know that legal aid’s role in our justice system is irreplaceable.
Legal aid resolves serious civil legal problems early — issues that can be life-altering, like domestic violence, unlawful evictions, predatory debt collection, fraud, denial of veterans’ benefits and lack of access to health care or income support. LASCO attorneys guide Ohioans through these challenges — providing protection, restoring stability and ensuring justice is not just for those who can afford it.
In the past year alone, LASCO helped more than 30,000 individuals and families, including a 78-year-old woman scammed out of her retirement savings. While police could not recoup her money, a LASCO attorney found a remedy using civil law — and helped her recover the taxes she had paid on the stolen funds.LSC is the backbone of civil legal aid in America, providing federal funding to nonprofit programs in every state. Without it, LASCO — and programs like it — will lose the resources to respond to urgent legal needs.This flexible funding empowers legal aid to respond quickly. In one case, LASCO represented tenants evacuated from an uninhabitable building on Christmas Day. When the out-of-state landlord dodged responsibility by filing bankruptcy in New Jersey, LASCO, a pro bono attorney, and the City of Columbus fought back and won a $1.5 million settlement — justice that wouldn’t have been possible without LSC-funded attorneys in our community.We know that state and local dollars can’t replace what LSC provides to LASCO and the four other LSC-funded nonprofit law firms in our state. Cutting it would dismantle a system that works — for clients, communities and courts.Legal aid isn’t just about justice — it’s a smart economic investment.
In 2024, LASCO secured more than $11 million in benefits and income for clients. That money helped pay rent, buy food, and support local businesses. Nationally, civil legal aid returns $7 for every $1 invested, reducing strain on courts, law enforcement and social services.Without LSC funding, programs like LASCO will be forced to turn away people like Renee, a veteran evicted due to a paperwork error. The 69-year-old, her daughter, and her grandchildren ended up in a shelter, then a hotel — sometimes sharing one room, paid for in part by her teenage grandson’s paycheck. Struggling to find a rental that would accept her housing voucher before it expired, Renee, who has diabetes and heart issues, sought help from LASCO.
Her attorney secured two voucher extensions and helped her search until the family found a suitable home.
“Everybody was giving us the runaround,” she said. “My attorney hung in there with us. If it weren’t for him, I don’t what I would have done.”If the Trump administration’s proposal moves forward, it will leave many low-income Ohioans without a path to legal help when it matters most.