TheGoldwater Institute is aconservative andlibertarianpublic policythink tank located inPhoenix, Arizona,[3] whose stated mission is "to defend and strengthen the freedom guaranteed to all Americans in the constitutions of the United States and all fifty states".[4] The organization was established in 1988 with the support of former SenatorBarry Goldwater.
The Goldwater Institute was primarily a public policy research organization until 2007 when it added a litigation arm, becoming the first state-based policy organization to do so.[3][5] Goldwater's litigation arm, the Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation, engages in lawsuits against government entities across the United States.[6]
The Goldwater Institute was founded in 1988 by conservative activists with the blessing ofBarry Goldwater. It is registered with theIRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.[7] Victor Riches was named president and CEO on July 10, 2017.[8]Darcy A. Olsen previously served as the institute's president, having joined Goldwater in 2001 as executive director.[9] The organization's board of directors includesBarry Goldwater Jr.[3]
SenatorRand Paul speaking at the Goldwater Institute dinner in 2014
The Goldwater Institute created the Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation in June 2007. The center, previously directed by lawyerClint 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.[3]
InTurken v. Gordon, the Goldwater Institute sued the city of Phoenix over a $100 million corporate subsidy to theCityNorth development, which the Institute argued was illegal under the Arizona Constitution.[15][16][needs update]
In another case,Preston v. Hallman, the Goldwater Institute successfully sued the city ofTempe, Arizona on behalf of a tattoo parlor owner whose permit to operate was denied by the city council though it complied with zoning laws.[17][18] In 2010, the Goldwater Institute successfully defended the right of voters to wearTea Party T-shirts to the polls.[3]
InTombstone v. United States, the Goldwater Institute sued on behalf of the City ofTombstone, Arizona which had been denied permission to use machinery to repair its water lines in an environmentally sensitive area.[19][20][needs update]
In February 2015, the Goldwater Institute filed suit inMassachusetts, challenging the state's century-old ban on corporate contributions to political candidates.[6][needs update]
In November 2017, the Goldwater Institute threatened to sue on behalf ofUCF Knights football kickerDonald De La Haye, who was earlier in the year kicked off the team for ineligibility.[21] De La Haye sued UCF over this matter in July 2018, settling in November 2018 to finish his education there.[22][23][24]
