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.”

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Norris v. Stanley, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and correct a misreading of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, which lower courts have over-interpreted to allow the government to use its police power to force people to get medical treatments. “The government is not the all-knowing purveyor of truth and should not be given deferential treatment when it wants to infringe on individual rights regarding medical treatments.”

The Buckeye Institute reacted to Governor Mike DeWine’s State of the State speech, saying, “The Buckeye Institute was also pleased to hear Governor DeWine call for an emphasis on career tech, improvements to Ohio College Opportunity Grants, and to provide parents and students with data on graduation-to-employment rates from Ohio’s public universities. For Ohio to succeed, the state must ensure its workforce is trained and ready to fill 21st century jobs.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Community Revitalization Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 50, which will help formerly incarcerated Ohioans reintegrate into society while keeping our communities safe. Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, applauded lawmakers for looking for ways to help formerly incarcerated people “secure stable housing in addition to stable employment.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio Senate Small Business and Economic Opportunity Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 198, which help soon-to-be-released individuals obtain the documents they will need to secure stable housing and employment after incarceration. Senate Bill 198 “builds upon Ohio’s successful certificate of qualification for employment program, … and will further promote the state’s interest in a safer, more just society.”

In a new report—A Healthcare World Reimagined: How Big Government Threatens Healthcare AI and What to Do About It—that is no April Fools’ Day joke, The Buckeye Institute outlines policy solutions and regulatory changes lawmakers should address to capitalize on the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve healthcare services. “Artificial intelligence, even in its fledgling stage, already shows great promise for improving healthcare services for physicians, hospital systems, and their patients.” 

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment v. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), calling on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to prohibit the SEC from forcing publicly traded companies to comply with arbitrary racial and gender quotas. In its brief, The Buckeye Institute argues that the SEC mandate that all publicly traded companies must allocate two board seats based on race or gender identity is beyond what Congress authorized.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Antonyuk v. James (previously Christian v. Nigrelli) on behalf of Project 21, a national network of black political, civic, and business leaders. In its brief, The Buckeye Institute calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and argues that New York’s Conceal Carry Improvement Act violates the constitutional right of the citizens of New York, particularly black New Yorkers, to keep and bear arms.

The Buckeye Institute commented on the newly released jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, saying, “Although unemployment is low, 2024 has gotten off to a tepid start. Ohio policymakers must redouble their efforts to implement policies that encourage entrepreneurs to open and expand businesses, which will create more jobs and bring more workers to Ohio. Regulatory reform and eliminating cumbersome, redundant rules that discourage innovation should be at the top of the list for lawmakers.”

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust on the inherent problems when government agencies adjudicate their own cases. In his testimony, Alt notes that agency adjudication presents “unique threats to civil liberties and the traditional protections afforded to defendants” in federal courts.