Judge Andrew King
Ohio Court Upholds Ruling that Google Search is Not a Common Carrier
On June 8, 2026, the Ohio Court of Appeals for the Fifth Appellate District unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling in State ex rel. Yost v. Google, L.L.C. (2026-Ohio-2148), rejecting Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's argument that Google's search engine qualifies as a common carrier under Ohio common law. Under Ohio's established two-part test, a common carrier must (1) actually transport the property of others and (2) hold itself out to serve the public without discrimination—and the court found Google Search fails on both counts.