Centers seek a stop to Ohio metals-dealers law

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Two legal centers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case regarding Ohio regulations on precious-metal dealers they claim are unconstitutional.

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law and the Pacific Legal Foundation filed the petition Friday on behalf of Liberty Coins of Delaware, Ohio. The petition asks the court to stop enforcement of the Ohio Precious Metals Dealers Act, a 1996 law barring precious-metals dealers from advertising without a license.

In 2012, U.S. District Judge Michael Watson ruled the law unconstitutional, claiming advertising classifies as speech protected by the First Amendment. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling earlier this year.

An Ohio Department of Commerce spokesman had no comment on the filing, but says the department still encourages voluntary adherence to the law.