Editorial: Strang role good for city

The appointment of a University of Toledo law professor to head up a new constitutional law think tank at the Ohio State University is a positive development for Ohio and the Toledo area.

Professor Lee Strang has been a hands-on law professor at UT during his 16 years here.

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He spearheaded the creation of what he envisioned as a “civic thought and leadership” center at UT, and he went to Columbus to secure funding.

The General Assembly was so enamored that they approved five such centers at universities around Ohio in 2023. Mr. Strang became the director of the Institute of American Constitutional Thought & Leadership at UT.

Last week it was announced that he will move to OSU to become executive director of the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society.

It is likely that the Salmon P. Chase Center will, in time, become a resource for the Ohio General Assembly and Ohio policy makers in general. (Mr. Chase was governor of Ohio, U.S. senator, secretary of treasury under Lincoln, and chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was an avid abolitionist.)

It can’t help but be to Toledo’s advantage to have Mr. Strang in that role, though his focus will be on OSU, not Toledo. During his tenure here, Mr. Strang put down roots and was involved in the community.

Mr. Strang has conservative leanings and is an advocate of courts following the intent of the founding fathers when interpreting the Constitution for modern times.

One of the things he did recently was to organize a debate on whether former President Donald Trump was eligible for office. It was the kind of program academia should be engaged in, rather than assisting and abetting students in protesting and occupying university property, as happened on some campuses.

He joined a local parents’ lawsuit to stop the state Department of Health from enforcing a mask order for all K-12 students as an infringement on their constitutional rights.

Mr. Strang will make a competent and visionary director of the Salmon P. Chase Center. We look forward to him becoming a source of constitutional wisdom and clarity in the years ahead.