Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, was publicly recognized from the Statehouse floor by Ohio’s House of Representatives for his accomplishment in summiting Mt. Everest on May 15, 2025. In his congratulatory proclamation, Alt’s State Representative—Brian Lorenz (Ohio’s 60th House District)—wrote that Robert “combined talent and competitive spirit with the highest levels of dedication to establish [him]self as a truly motivated athlete.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in FCC v. AT&T and Verizon v. FCC with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the U.S. Constitution does not allow federal agencies to impose monetary penalties without affording the accused a jury trial. “From the Founding, the right to trial by jury in civil cases was understood as a structural safeguard against governmental overreach. Our Founding Fathers understood that a jury was not a procedural luxury. It was a constitutional check on government power.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Technology and Innovation Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 646, a “timely and commendable initiative” that creates a Data Center Study Commission to assess the impact of data centers in Ohio. In the testimony, Buckeye noted a Data Center Study Commission could “help dispel inaccurate myths, better inform communities about data center benefits, including job creation and tax revenue.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Craig v. Cromes, calling on the Ohio Supreme Court to hear the case and put an end to Cuyahoga County’s home equity theft scheme. When they loaded their wagons and lit out for the West, the men and women who settled what would become Cuyahoga County would have understood the takings clause to plainly encompass the right to recover the surplus value—or equity—of their property’s value if their property was foreclosed on and sold to settle a tax debt.

The Buckeye Institute submitted a public comment to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services offering its recommendations on how the state can better align its workforce, education, and employment programs. Buckeye urged policymakers to enhance financial stability and economic mobility for Ohio families, offer clear paths to high-demand careers, and ensure a reliable road to self-sufficiency, with every promotion signifying real financial progress.

The Buckeye Institute submitted written testimony to the Columbus City Council on its proposed rental registry ordinance, which will “raise housing costs for Columbus renters.” In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that while “improving housing conditions and safety is laudable and understandable,” the “proposed ordinance will be more harmful than beneficial.”

In The Hill, The Buckeye Institute praises federal efforts to hold states accountable for mismanagement and fraud in welfare spending—particularly Medicaid and SNAP—and applauds U.S. Sen. Jon Husted for his recently introduced Upward Mobility Act, which will combine “several federal assistance programs to make them more efficient and encourage program recipients to work more,” and  will “reduce the impact of ‘benefit cliffs’ — which can eliminate public assistance if a recipient earns too much.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Hedgepeth v. Britton, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and protect the First Amendment rights of government employees, including teachers. This case illustrates the tension between suppressing speech based on a heckler’s veto and protecting out-of-school speech that does not actually disrupt the learning environment or undermine the employee’s ability to fulfill his or her job.

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Energy Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 294, which, combined with other recent energy policy reforms, will make Ohio a “national energy policy leader.” In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that Senate Bill 294 “furthers the state’s effort to supply low-cost, reliable electricity.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Carbin v. Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and revive the judiciary’s independent duty to interpret and enforce constitutional limits. The Manhattan Institute joined The Buckeye Institute in filing its brief. “The Constitution was not designed to subordinate liberty to legislative convenience, and due respect for Congress does not entail blind acceptance of its assertions.”