Goldwater Institute

Overview

The Goldwater Institute was founded in 1988 by conservative activists with the blessing of Barry Goldwater. It is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Victor Riches was named president and CEO on July 10, 2017. Darcy A. Olsen previously served as the institute's president, having joined Goldwater in 2001 as executive director. The organization's board of directors includes Barry Goldwater Jr.

The Goldwater Institute is a proponent of increased educational choice through charter schools and school vouchers. The organization has helped state lawmakers draft "right to try" laws, which allow terminally ill individuals to try experimental medications that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Goldwater Institute is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council. The organization has ties to the Koch family and the Walton Family Foundation.

Public interest litigation

The Goldwater Institute created the Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation in June 2007. The center, previously directed by lawyer Clint Bolick, engages in lawsuits against federal, state and local governmental bodies to advocate adherence to constitutional law and to protect individual rights such as property rights and entrepreneurial freedom from potential government intrusion.

In Turken v. Gordon, the Goldwater Institute sued the city of Phoenix over a $100 million corporate subsidy to the CityNorth development, which the Institute argued was illegal under the Arizona Constitution.

In another case, Preston v. Hallman, the Goldwater Institute successfully sued the city of Tempe, Arizona on behalf of a tattoo parlor owner whose permit to operate was denied by the city council though it complied with zoning laws. In 2010, the Goldwater Institute successfully defended the right of voters to wear Tea Party T-shirts to the polls.

In Tombstone v. United States, the Goldwater Institute sued on behalf of the City of Tombstone, Arizona which had been denied permission to use machinery to repair its water lines in an environmentally sensitive area.

In February 2015, the Goldwater Institute filed suit in Massachusetts, challenging the state's century-old ban on corporate contributions to political candidates.

In November 2017, the Goldwater Institute threatened to sue on behalf of UCF Knights football kicker Donald De La Haye, who was earlier in the year kicked off the team for ineligibility. De La Haye sued UCF over this matter in July 2018, settling in November 2018 to finish his education there.

References

References

1. "Meet the Team".
2. (9 May 2013). "Barry Goldwater Institute For Public Policy Research - Nonprofit Explorer".
3. Lacey, Marc. (December 25, 2011). "A Watchdog for Conservative Ideals". The New York Times.
4. "About". Goldwater Institute.
5. "The Art of Public Policy Philanthropy: Donors Go to Court". Philanthropy Roundtable.
6. Scharfenberg, David. (February 25, 2015). "State campaign finance law faces legal challenge". The Boston Globe.
7. "Charity Rating". Charity Navigator}} See also {{cite web.
8. (July 10, 2017). "Darcy Olsen stepping down as Goldwater Institute CEO". Phoenix Business Journal.
9. (September 28, 2008). "The Goldwater Institute: 20 years later". The Arizona Republic.
10. (March 14, 2014). "Divisive school plan advances in Legislature". The Arizona Republic.
11. Mitchell, Tia. (July 31, 2014). "Parents, Goldwater Institute seek to intervene in voucher lawsuit". Tampa Bay Times.
12. Walters, Edgar. (February 25, 2015). "Lawmakers Push "Right to Try" Experimental Drugs". The Texas Tribune.
13. "A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute - What Citizens, Policymakers, and Reporters Should Know".
14. Kelkar, Kamala. (May 13, 2018). "Inside the 'free speech' debate that rocked a Wisconsin campus, with ripples across the country". [[PBS NewsHour]].
15. Olsen, Darcy. (June 6, 2009). "Arizona's Landmark 'Bailout' Battle". The Wall Street Journal.
16. Fenske, Sarah. (January 25, 2010). "CityNorth Subsidy Sent Back to Court of Appeals". Phoenix New Times.
17. Montini, Ed. (May 19, 2009). "Tattoo parlor gets under skin of a stereotype". The Arizona Republic.
18. Fischer, Howard. (September 7, 2012). "Court ruling: 1st Amendment protects Mesa tattoo shop". East Valley Tribune.
19. Poindexter, Joel. (April 27, 2012). "Tombstone, Water, and the Bureaucrat Standing In Between". Tenth Amendment Center.
20. Nicholas, Samantha. (December 28, 2012). "Federal Appeals Court Rejects Tombstone's Appeal". The Tombstone News.
21. (November 30, 2017). "De La Haye v. UCF". Goldwater Institute.
22. Kirshner, Alex. (2018-07-13). "How the YouTube kicker's lawsuit challenges the NCAA".
23. (2018-11-16). "Attorneys: UCF's De La Haye settles for a bright future off the field".
24. [https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6295565/de-la-haye-v-hitt/ De La Haye v. Hitt, 6:18-cv-0135 (M.D. Fla. 2018).]