The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Finance Committee on the policy in Ohio House Bill 645, which, if adopted, would make state government better stewards of Ohio’s taxpayer dollars and make state government more accountable to voters by implementing zero-based budgeting, which forces government officials to justify the use of every taxpayer dollar rather than simply maintaining—or increasing—government spending on programs that may have outlived their usefulness.

The Buckeye Institute commented on Ohio’s March 2026 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “The first months of 2026 saw slow job growth in the Buckeye State, but March closed out the first quarter on a positive note. And while national economic growth accelerated in the first quarter of 2026, so did inflation. Higher gas prices and inflation remain a threat to the economy, but for now, Ohio workers are benefiting from an above-average job market.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in D.A. v. Tri County Area Schools, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and tell Tri County Area Schools that their students’ political speech—even when it is expressed on a Let’s Go Brandon shirt—is protected by the First Amendment. “The petitioners’ choice of attire, fashionable or not, clearly conveyed a political message without using profanity and is therefore protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its brief asking the Ohio Supreme Court to accept jurisdiction in Vanderveer v. Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) and either hold it pending the court’s decision in Sheldon v. OAPSE or consolidate it with Sheldon—one of The Buckeye Institute’s other cases seeking to end union wage theft practices that is pending Ohio Supreme Court review.

The Buckeye Institute scored another legal victory, this time for Kevin Chandler, Amy Clark, and Charles C. Perry, Jr.—The Buckeye Institute’s clients in Chandler v. OAPSE. After court-ordered mediation, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) agreed to return all of the money taken from Mr. Chandler, Mrs. Clark, and Mr. Perry’s paychecks after the three had ended their union membership.

Tuesday’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury tees up a circuit split with its ruling upholding the federal ban on home distilling under Congress’s taxing power and the Necessary and Proper Clause, which is in direct contrast with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s ruling eleven days ago overturning the 158 year-old federal ban on home distilling.

The Wall Street Journal toasted The Buckeye Institute’s monumental win in McNutt v. U.S. Department of Justice, and pointed out what many other media stories missed…that the government sidestepped Buckeye’s challenge to the Commerce Clause. In Buckeye’s even bigger case pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Ream v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Commerce Clause issue remains alive and well, and The Journal noted that the U.S. Supreme Court will most likely have an opportunity to address it in Ream.

The Buckeye Institute filed its second amicus brief in Powell v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This one with the U.S. Supreme Court, calling on the court to hear the case and overturn the SEC’s unconstitutional gag rule, which prohibits Americans who settle cases with the SEC from discussing the case publicly. “The SEC’s gag rule guarantees that Lady Justice is not only blind, but that she is also deaf.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Newman v. Moore, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, arguing that the Judicial Council and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit exercised a de facto impeachment of Judge Pauline Newman, a removal power that the U.S. Constitution assigns exclusively to Congress. “This de facto impeachment circumvents the U.S. Constitution’s structural safeguards—bicameral action, supermajority agreement in the U.S. Senate, and public, deliberative proceedings.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on the February 2026 jobs report, saying, “The trends we have seen over the past few months tell us that Ohio is experiencing slow job growth, and that while Ohio’s new flat tax and energy reforms will help attract employers and workers to Ohio, lawmakers must not rest on these successes. As job creation slows, lawmakers must remain focused on reining in government spending and adopting pro-growth policies that will benefit Ohio’s businesses and workers.”