The Buckeye Institute filed its amicus brief in Grand v. University Heights, Ohio, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the property rights and religious liberty rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. “From the Pilgrims secret meetings in Scrooby Manor, to John Locke’s theories of linking property and religious liberty, to James Madison’s belief that the free exercise of one’s religion is itself a property right, property and freedom of conscience have flowed together throughout American history and must be protected from government tyranny.”

The Buckeye Institute joined Washington Legal Foundation and the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Legal Center in filing a second amicus brief in Ohio Telecom Association v. Federal Communications Commission, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit agreed to rehear the case en banc (by the full court), calling on the court to affirm congressional authority over federal rulemaking. 

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, received the prestigious 2026 Thomas A. Roe Award for Excellence in Leadership. Established in 1992 and named after the late businessman and generous philanthropist, State Policy Network’s Thomas A. Roe Award pays tribute to those who have advanced public policy solutions grounded in free-market principles—particularly in the state policy movement—and recognizes leadership, innovation, and accomplishment.

The Buckeye Institute filed its amicus brief in Viramontes v. Cook Co. and Grant v. Higgins, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to tell Cook County and other jurisdictions that arbitrary firearm bans violate the U.S. Constitution. “Contrary to popular belief, detachable magazines are nothing new. The public’s visceral reaction against them does not give Cook County, or other jurisdictions, a license to violate the constitutional rights of Americans.”

The Buckeye Institute filed its third amicus brief in the National Prescription Opiate multidistrict litigation case (In re OptumRx) before Judge Dan Polster in the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Ohio. In its brief, Buckeye calls on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to issue a writ of mandamus ordering the district court  to strictly adhere to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that govern all civil court cases. 

The Buckeye Institute filed its reply brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, responding to the federal government’s filing in Ream v. U.S. Department of the Treasury—one of The Buckeye Institute’s cases challenging the federal prohibition on home distilling. In its brief, The Buckeye Institute urged the court to resolve all of the relevant constitutional claims involved. “Ream squarely presents the full range of constitutional justifications the government has argued at every stage of the case in defense of the federal ban on home distilling.” 

As Ohio prepares to celebrate Labor Day and Ohio’s workers, The Buckeye Institute is out with a new policy brief, Expanding Ohio’s Workforce Pipeline, that offers specific policy recommendations Ohio lawmakers can adopt to prepare workers for the in-demand, high-skilled jobs that 21st century employers need to fill. “Ohio has made remarkable strides toward prosperity and economic advancement in recent years; however, it still struggles to train and retain a ready-to-hire workforce.”

USA Today features The Buckeye Institute’s two cases—Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury and McNutt v. U.S. Department of Justice—to end the 158-year-old ban on home distilling. “John Ream home-brews the vanilla stout his wife prefers. He’s crafted his own wine and mead. But a nearly 160-year-old federal ban on home distilling is keeping the Ohio engineer from experimenting with spirits.” “The Supreme Court could review a ban on home-distilling in a case with potentially larger implications for federal power.”

The Buckeye Institute submitted a public comment to the Ohio Department of Aging on Ohio’s draft 2027-2030 State Plan on Aging, outlining how the Buckeye State can make Ohio the best place to age in the nation. Buckeye’s recommendations were included in its recently released report, The Cost of Aging, which offered durable and cost-effective solutions to providing long-term care for Ohio’s aging population. 

Sixty-one nationally renowned organizations, public interest law firms, states, and individuals from across the country filed amicus briefs supporting The Buckeye Institute’s client John Ream in his David v. Goliath challenge to the federal government’s unconstitutional 158-year-old prohibition on home distilling. “The Buckeye Institute is honored, humbled, and grateful to have so many extraordinary amici supporting John Ream and Buckeye’s case to overturn the un-American federal ban on home distilling.”