The Buckeye Institute recently filed Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury on behalf of John Ream of Licking County, Ohio, asking the court to overturn the federal government’s ban on the home distilling of spirited beverages and arguing that this ban exceeds Congressional authority and violates the Tenth Amendment. Robert Alt, president and CEO of The Buckeye Institute, discussed this important case at a forum hosted by The Federalist Society.

In The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Buckeye Institute urges policymakers in the Queen City to avoid recycled tax-and-spend policies to address Cincinnati’s nearly $500 million budget shortfall, writing that “returning to outmoded tax-and-spend policies instead of creatively curbing public spending and attracting more workers, more residents, and more businesses will cost the city in the long run − perhaps even more than $500 million.” 

On RealClearEnergy, Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and the vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, marks Earth Day by looking at the progress “Americans and their businesses have made in making the air, water, and land cleaner and healthier for everyone” and cautions against draconian government policies that could cause more harm than good. 

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Sanchez v. United States opposing unconstitutional forfeiture laws, which create perverse incentives for law enforcement to seize private property when its owner is not convicted of a crime, or in this case, wasn’t charged, or even suspected of a crime. “The result of forfeiture laws is a system where revenue generation—not crime prevention—is the primary driver of law enforcement decisions.”

The Buckeye Institute commented on Ohio’s newly released jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “Ohio’s job market has cooled since the sizzling summer of 2023. While Ohio is adding new jobs, faster job growth is needed to reduce an unemployment rate that has crept up over the last several months…Ohio needs to focus on fiscal and economic reforms that will lead to job growth in the Buckeye State.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Gonzales v. Inslee, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the private property rights of landlords. In its brief, Buckeye argues that the right to exclude—to say who can and cannot live on your property—is a fundamental element of property rights protected by the Fifth Amendment and that the state of Washington effectively took private property by telling landlords they could not exclude non-rent paying tenants from their property. 

Later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue rulings in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless v. U.S. Department of Commerce, which could rein in the power of unelected government officials to make laws well beyond what Congress authorized. In the new issue of the Columbus Bar Association’s Lawyers Quarterly, The Buckeye Institute’s David C. Tryon looks at the end of Chevron deference and what comes next.

In a new policy memo, Classroom Space for Every Student in Every Family in Every Community, The Buckeye Institute offers lawmakers additional solutions to address the growing need for classroom space in private and charter schools, given the success of the Ohio EdChoice program and the increasing demand for vouchers. In this new memo, Buckeye builds on an earlier recommendation and urges lawmakers to “authorize the state treasurer to make linked deposit programs and a loan guarantee program available to non-district schools.”

To the IRS and state tax collectors, your money looks a lot like theirs—especially today, when tax returns and taxes owed are due. Writing checks for the government to cash always hurts, but it could be worse. The Buckeye Institute has helped reduce state taxes in Ohio, and championed tax reforms with think tanks across the country to help spur growth and relieve tax burdens.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Ashland Global Holdings v. SuperAsh Remainderman, calling on the Ohio Supreme Court to reject the “honest mistake” doctrine in contract law. “The freedom to make and enforce contracts is fundamental to advancing personal and business endeavors, and both the nation’s Founders and those establishing the state of Ohio prohibited the state from interfering with this freedom. Ashland Global had a contractual duty to do their job—its failure does not merit judicial intervention.”