The Death and Life of New York Outdoor Dining
What began as a vibrant, organic solution to a crisis has been stifled by overregulation.
Regulation
Capping Overdraft Fees Will Hurt Some of the People It Is Supposed To Help
An apt ending to Joe Biden's war on junk fees, which only made sense if you refused to acknowledge trade-offs and believed federal regulators are all-knowing.
Intrusive Small Business Reporting Law Slapped With Nationwide Injunction
A judge says the federal law has no constitutional basis and threatens First and Fourth Amendment rights.
New Salmonella Rules Could Kill Small Farms
Big Chicken wins while small farmers and processors face costly regulations—and consumers remain at risk.
Bye, Joe: Evaluating the Biden Presidency
From the war in Afghanistan to the war on drugs, Reason writers offer performance reviews of Joe Biden's single term as president.
Donate to Reason To Keep the New Prohibitionists at Bay
Give us your money to keep the government out of your cocktails, your cherries, your raw milk, your psychedelics, and other forms of fun.
A Change in Administrations Underlines the Stakes of an E-Cigarette Case SCOTUS Heard This Week
An e-liquid manufacturer is challenging the FDA's "arbitrary and capricious" rejection of flavored vaping products.
Food and Drug Administration Defends Refusal To Approve Flavored E-Cigarettes Before the Supreme Court
The FDA’s regulations are burdensome and unnecessary to address the inflated high school vaping epidemic.
Abolish the Securities and Exchange Commission
Despite its enormous budget and vast regulatory powers, the agency has failed to detect major frauds while wasting time and money on relatively useless disclosures.
Belgian Sex Workers Gain Access to Paid Leave, Right To Refuse Sex Acts
Belgian sex work groups are cheering the new law. But it could come with some downsides.
I Tried Lab-Grown Salmon. Here's What It Tasted Like.
Cultivated meat is getting better and better. That's why states keep trying to ban it.
Incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's Beef With NewsGuard Is Legally Dubious and Empirically Shaky
The company, which says it takes an "apolitical approach" to rating news outlets, faces regulatory threats and a congressional probe because of its perceived bias against conservatives.
Beer Lobby Wants Restrictions and Higher Taxes on Intoxicating Hemp Products
The proposal brings to mind the classic "bootleggers and Baptists" theory in which both moralists and competitors oppose a substance.
The New FCC Chairman's Agenda Contradicts Conservative Principles
Brendan Carr’s plans for "reining in Big Tech" are a threat to limited government, free speech, free markets, and the rule of law.
Families Need Affordable Housing, but New York Residents Use Red Tape To Block Development
With the help of New York’s environmental review law, local NIMBYs halted an approved housing project, adding to delays and costs in a city facing a housing shortage.
Trump's Pick To Run the FCC Wants To Restrict the Editorial Discretion of Social Media Platforms
"Reining in Big Tech," Brendan Carr says, requires scrapping liability protections and restricting moderation decisions.
Can RFK Jr. Fix Our Dysfunctional Public Health Agencies?
His priorities may not be the drastic reforms that are actually needed.
Biden Wants To Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity, but He'll Have To Cut Red Tape To Do It
Even with burgeoning private sector support, nuclear can’t thrive without regulatory reform.
Abolish the FDA
Many seriously ill people die waiting for the FDA to approve drugs that regulators in other advanced countries have already approved.
Abolish the Federal Alcohol Tax and Regulation System
The states already overregulate alcohol. There's no need for a federal layer of red tape.
Abolish the EPA
Climate change is a serious environmental concern, but it is not clear how the EPA helps.
FDA Recalls 80,000 Pounds of Costco Butter Over Missing Milk Allergy Warning
Apparently consumers are too stupid to know that butter contains milk.
Regulations Are Making It Harder To Meet the Nation's Power Demands
Federal regulators have rejected a proposal to increase electricity generation from a nuclear power plant to a large data center in Pennsylvania.
During Trump's Second Term, the Supreme Court's Critics Will Be Grateful for Its Restraining Influence
The justices, including Trump's nominees, have shown they are willing to defy his will when they think the law requires it.
The Next President Should Abolish Everything
In the Abolish Everything issue, Reason writers make the case for ending the Fed, the Army, Social Security, and everything else.
Countries With Economic Freedom Are Far Better Off
Even the poorest citizens of free countries fare better than the middle classes in economically repressive nations.
Exempting Favored Industries is the Wrong Way to Fix NEPA
The Building Chips in America Act shields CHIPS-subsidized firms from the National Environmental Policy Act.
What the Past Can Teach Us About Our AI Fears
Regulating AI could threaten free speech, just as earlier proposed regulations of other media once did.
Doctor Fighting To Break Certificate of Need Barrier in North Carolina
The Institute for Justice partners with an independent eye doctor to challenge state regulations that protect hospital monopolies and restrict patient access.
Napa's Wineries Battle Local Restrictions
In the heart of California Wine Country, rigid local rules are choking small businesses and stifling growth
Montana's Porn Age Verification Law Is Headed to Court
"Invoking the innocence of children is not...a magic incantation sufficient for legislatures to run roughshod over the First Amendment rights of adults."
SCOTUS Case Involving Cannabis Fraud Highlights the Illogic of Federal Drug Testing Mandates
A trucker lost his job because he tested positive for marijuana after consuming a supposedly THC-free CBD tincture.
The Feds' Chinese Investment Ban Will Harm America, Not China
The Treasury's sweeping rule curtailing dual-use technology transactions with Chinese firms will reduce domestic growth, innovation, and security.
Elon Musk Versus the California Coastal Commission
The state's powerful coastal land-use regulator is arguing its awesome development-stopping powers applies to rocket launches as well as housing.
Geothermal Power Could Produce Abundant Clean Energy, If We Let It
Geothermal projects promise nearly limitless energy, but they are being stymied by environmental policies.
Feds Launch Investigation Into Tesla Over a Single Fatality
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration is holding vehicles to higher standards than it does drivers.
Archaic Federal Law Keeps Alaskans From Using Abundant Natural Gas Reserves
The Jones Act makes the North Slope’s resources inaccessible to the state’s energy-starved residents.
Did Inflation Save Us From 'New Progressive Economics'?
Anti-market progressives dominate the Biden administration. Their policies also help discredit it.
Chip Mellor's Legacy Promotes a Broader Concept of Civil Liberties
For more than three decades, the Institute for Justice has shown that economic freedom and private property are essential safeguards for ordinary Americans.
Kamala Harris Promotes Federal Pot Legalization As a Boon to Black Men
Although the framing is a transparent political ploy, it is reassuring to see that the vice president has not abandoned her opposition to the federal ban.
Highly Regulated Germany Considers New Laws To Deter Terrorists Who Don't Obey Laws
Few problems can be resolved by grandstanding politicians threatening new penalties.
Home Kitchens Are Under Attack by Regulators
Americans are turning to home-cooked meals, but state regulators are making it harder for small food businesses to survive.
Longtime Ban on Home Distilling May Finally End
Why is making spirits for personal use any of the government’s business in the first place?
New USDA Organic Rules Put Wine Importers in a Bind
Government incompetence strikes again, turning the wine industry upside down with red tape and confusion.
Federal 'Buy American' Rules Cost Over $100,000 Per Job Created
Eliminate the domestic content requirements of the Buy American Act, don't expand them.
Many Native Americans Struggle With Poverty. Easing Energy Regulations Could Help.
A significant percentage of Native Americans don't even have electricity—thanks in part to reservations being subject to overwhelming bureaucracy.
At V.P. Debate, J.D. Vance and Tim Walz Scapegoat Immigrants, 'Corporate Speculators' for High Housing Costs
Both candidates mentioned the importance of new supply to bring down housing costs. But their focus was firmly on their chosen boogeymen.
