Columbus, OH – On Friday, The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Advance Colorado v. Griswold, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and tell Colorado that its government-compelled ballot-language speech code violates the First Amendment.

“Colorado’s ballot-language speech code gives the government unchecked control over the messaging of citizen ballot initiatives, a clear violation of the First Amendment,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute. “It not only forces Advance Colorado to say things it doesn’t agree with, but it also forces them to give misleading information to voters.”

In its brief, The Buckeye Institute argues that Colorado’s economic impact analysis—which the government adds to the ballot language of every citizen-led ballot initiative that cuts taxes—is clearly compelled political speech and violates the First Amendment. Relying on The Buckeye Institute’s expertise in “dynamic scoring” and how changes in policy impact businesses, families, jobs, the economy, and state revenues, Buckeye’s brief further demonstrates that, in this case, the statement that the government is forcing Advance Colorado to include on its tax reduction ballot initiative is speculative and intended to manipulate public perception of the ballot initiative. 

Mountain States Legal Foundation is representing Advance Colorado.

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