Columbus, OH – On Thursday, The Buckeye Institute filed a Valentine’s Day love letter to the First Amendment with the Judicial Conference of the United States. The love letter, aka public comments, urged the conference to protect the free speech rights of Americans and reject proposed changes to court rules mandating that organizations filing amicus briefs in federal cases expose the private information of their donors.

In its comments, The Buckeye Institute waxed poetically about its love and respect for the First Amendment and the importance of protecting it in court proceedings, noting that:

• Filing amicus briefs is important to the democratic process;
• The First Amendment protects amicus participation in the legal process, which the proposed rule unlawfully infringes upon; and 
• The Judicial Conference should propose rules to facilitate increased amici participation at the district court level.

“Because the proposed disclosure risks stifling amicus participation and poses serious First Amendment concerns, The Buckeye Institute urges the Committee to reject these proposed changes.”

Download a PDF of the love letter.

# # #