The Buckeye Institute filed its response to the federal government’s appeal on a key issue in The Buckeye Institute v. Internal Revenue Service—one of the most important First Amendment cases in the country. This case challenges a decades-old tax law forcing nonprofit charities like The Buckeye Institute to hand over the private information (names and addresses) of donors to the federal government every year. The Buckeye Institute is represented in this case by its own in-house attorneys and the Institute for Free Speech.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in National Rifle Association v. Vullo, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and tell government officials they cannot hide behind qualified immunity to protect them from the consequences of violating the First Amendment. “Superintendent Vullo’s premeditated bad-faith attack on the First Amendment does not deserve the same protections as police officers making split-second, life-and-death decisions.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 503, which, if adopted, will improve Ohio’s municipal income tax system. Buckeye noted that “Ohio’s municipal income tax system remains one of, if not the worst local tax structure in the entire nation,” and House Bill 503’s commonsense reforms align with the “foundational American principle that taxes and tax increases should not be imposed without taxpayer consent.”

The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Judiciary Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 211, which, if adopted, will require judges to “consider an offender’s status as the primary caretaker of a child” when issuing sentences. Buckeye lauded lawmakers for “balancing the need to punish offenders and the responsibility of ensuring that they become productive members of society,” pointing out that “House Bill 211 takes another modest but meaningful step” in that same direction.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in B.A. v. Tri County Area Schools, calling on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to hear the case en banc (by the full court), reverse the three-judge panel’s ill-advised decision, and tell Tri County Area Schools that their students’ political speech—even when expressed on a Let’s Go Brandon shirt—is protected by the First Amendment.

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Health Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 52, which, if adopted, will help ease Ohio’s care provider shortage. House Bill 52, Buckeye points out, will “ease the pain of some care provider shortages by allowing certified registered nurse anesthesiologists (CRNA) to practice to the full extent of their medical training and collaborate with physicians.” 

The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Ohio House Insurance Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 192, urging lawmakers to adopt “sound, market-based reforms that will lower regulatory barriers to healthcare, encourage drug innovation, help maintain drug affordability, and improve patient health.” Some policies in House Bill 192, which imposes a minimum government-mandated dispensing fee on Ohio pharmacies, will “likely raise consumer prices at the pharmacy rather than lower them.”

The Buckeye Institute replied to a request for information from the U.S. Department of Energy outlining how the United States can accelerate the development of large-scale energy infrastructure projects to meet the nation’s growing energy needs. In its comments, The Buckeye Institute urged the Trump administration to remove “[r]egulatory barriers imped[ing] the U.S. electric grid from meeting new energy demands,” and allow private capital and market-driven innovation to address growing electricity demand. 

The Buckeye Institute won another legal victory. This time, the city of Cleveland paid The Buckeye Institute the maximum allowed under Ohio law to cover its damages after Buckeye took the city to court for refusing to turn over public records in accordance with Ohio law. “The public has a clear right to public records, and Cleveland could have avoided this payout by simply complying with The Buckeye Institute’s lawful request.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Gun Owners of America v. ATF, calling on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to uphold the Freedom of Information Act and reverse the lower court’s ill-advised ruling restricting the use of public documents, something the FOIA law does not allow. “In the lower court’s ruling, the court has given itself a new power to create a new governmental right under the Freedom of Information Act that does not exist and that Congress did not authorize.”