 They appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court for a writ of "habeas corpus", but on May 30, 1859, their petition was denied.The political ferment resulting from the case led to a number of major protests throughout the northern part of the state, and an unprecedented boost to the anti-slavery Republican party in the 1860 State elections.The governor of Ohio wrote to the new Republican President Abraham Lincoln urging him to repeal the Fugitive Slave Law.