On April 6, 2011, The Supreme Court of Ohio agreed to become the first state supreme court in the nation to determine whether a statewide smoking ban violates bar owners’ property rights. The Court also agreed to review whether the Ohio Department of Health has consistently exceeded its authority in fining business owners under the ban.
This case is brought on behalf of Zeno’s Victorian Village, a family-owned Columbus tavern. The Center argues the smoking ban unconstitutionally deprives business owners of fundamental property rights. It also argues that the state health officials’ methods while enforcing the ban exceed their constitutional authority and is at odds with the plain language of the ban. […]
Government employees would no longer have to “opt out” of making political contributions to unions, state government will no longer transfer political contributions to unions. The Ohio House of Representatives yesterday amended Senate Bill 5 to include the “1851 Center Amendment,” a provision that would prevent state and local government from facilitating transfer of political […]
Ohio Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Cincinnati Public Schools v. Conners on February 7, 2011. To view oral arguments, click here. In this critical matter, the 1851 Center represents Dr. Roger Conners, operator of Theodore Roosevelt Public Charter School, a charter serving over 250 underprivileged children in Cincinnati’s downtrodden Fairmount neighborhood.
Cincinnati Public Schools has a policy of prohibiting the use of vacant public school buildings by charter schools and private schools. Historical Overview Theodore Roosevelt School, in Cincinnati, had purchased an unused school building located in the Fairmount neighborhood, where all CPS schools are in academic emergency status and 80 percent of families are minorities and live […]
On February 22, the 1851 Center released The Path Remains Clear for Ohio’s New Legislators to Separate Government Employment from Public Employee Union Politics, a Constitutional Viewpoint on automated payroll deductions for political contributions, a service provided to public employee union members and paid for by taxpayers. From the Overview: As the debate on the role […]
In October of 2010, Mansfield-area taxpayers filed an Ohio Corrupt Activities Act complaint against Gov. Ted Strickland, Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) Executive Director Richard Murray, the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) and others. The taxpayers complained that members of the Strickland administration, organized labor, and Murray used the OSFC and school building […]
1851 Center Files Jurisdictional Motion with Ohio Supreme Court COLUMBUS – The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, a public interest law firm, yesterday asked the Ohio Supreme Court to make a final determination on the legality of Ohio’s state smoking ban, and its enforcement. The legal center argues that state health officials’ misguided enforcement of […]
Contracts to build schools at heart of corruption claim Friday, October 15, 2010 02:55 AM By Darrel Rowland THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A conservative group sued Gov. Ted Strickland, his chief of staff, the Ohio School Facilities Commission and others yesterday, alleging that they engaged in a pattern of corrupt activity by favoring unions in school-construction […]
By LINDA MARTZ • CentralOhio.com • October 15, 2010 MANSFIELD — Six Richland County residents filed a lawsuit through a Columbus-based conservative group Thursday, claiming Gov. Ted Strickland and the Ohio School Facilities Commission engaged in corrupt activity by favoring unions on school construction projects. Two Richland County school districts are named as defendants. The […]