The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Center for Arizona Policy v. Arizona, calling on the Arizona Supreme Court to recognize that Proposition 211—Arizona’s expansive donor disclosure requirement—is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerous. “Four years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down California’s requirement that nonprofit organizations turn over sensitive donor information to the government. Arizona’s law is worse than California’s—and should likewise be struck down.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its opening brief on appeal in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. John Ream of Licking County, Ohio, represented by The Buckeye Institute, is challenging the federal government’s ban on the home distilling of spirit beverages, arguing that this ban exceeds Congressional authority under Article I of the U.S. Constitution and violates the Tenth Amendment.

The Buckeye Institute continues to stand up for public employees who have decided to exercise their constitutional rights and quit the government union. In a new lawsuit—this one against the National Education Association, Ohio Education Association, and the Poland Education Association—The Buckeye Institute is demanding that the union stop charging union dues to Buckeye’s client Beth Queen, a science teacher at Poland Seminary High School, in Poland, Ohio. Queen v. NEA was filed in Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief with the Ohio Supreme Court in Cincinnati ex rel. Miller v. Cincinnati, arguing that Ohio law allows citizens to bring cases on behalf of the government when they feel it is necessary to prevent an abuse of corporate power that the government refuses to address itself. “Whatever one thinks about the merits of this case, it does not negate the fact that Mr. Miller has standing to bring the case under Ohio law.”

In a filing with the State Employment Relations Board (SERB), The Buckeye Institute charged the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA) with an unfair labor practice for violating the Janus rights of The Buckeye Institute’s client, Ryan Smith, a United States Marine Corps combat veteran. The Buckeye Institute’s filing with SERB follows the union’s silence on Buckeye’s May 15 demand letter to OCSEA’s state leadership, insisting that the union investigate conduct at the union orientation.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Abbotsford Education Association v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, urging the Wisconsin Court of Appeals to uphold the carefully constructed constitutional balance between the peoples’ right to govern themselves while ensuring fundamental rights are not trammeled. “For the opponents of Wisconsin’s Act 10, their remedy is found in the statehouse, not the courthouse.”

The Buckeye Institute sent a demand letter to the state leadership of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association insisting that it investigate Tim Federkiel, president of AFSCME/OCSEA Chapter 2200, for violating the Janus rights of The Buckeye Institute’s client Ryan Smith, a United States Marine Corps combat veteran. Given Mr. Federkiel’s actions, Buckeye demanded that OCSEA rescind any agreement between Mr. Smith, the union, and any of its affiliates, including any membership application or dues deduction authorization.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Wolford v. Lopez, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and tell lower courts they are bound by the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on the Second Amendment. In its brief, The Buckeye Institute urged the U.S. Supreme Court to grant the petition and reverse the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, sending a clear message to lower courts that they must respect and follow U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

The Buckeye Institute, joined by the Pelican Institute, filed an amicus brief in Crowe v. Oregon State Bar, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the First Amendment rights of lawyers and end laws that force attorneys to join state-sponsored bar associations that lobby on inherently political and ideological issues. “When bar associations engage in advocacy and speak on matters of public concern, they are engaging in inherently political speech.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its fourth lawsuit against the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) for its refusal to stop taking money out of the paychecks of public employees who are not members of the government unions. The Buckeye Institute filed Vanderveer v. OAPSE in the Fulton County Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Katrina Vanderveer. “In yet another case, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees has refused to stop taking ‘dues’ out of our client’s paycheck.”