OHIO RATIFIES 14TH AMENDMENT--Sen. Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati, gestures as he makes closing remarks during a ceremony that formally transmitted the state's ratification of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to the federal government, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2003. Ohio had been the only remaining state on record in opposition to this amendment, which guarantees the equal protection and due process of the law to all citizens. Also seen are Gov. Bob Taft, left, and Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. (Jack Kustron/Photoj.com)