Alexander Butterfield
It's deja vu, all over again ...
Month: September 2019
Trump, Not the Whistleblower, Has Acted Illegally
The president's threats might prevent future whistleblowers from coming forward to expose executive abuse.
Indianapolis' Top Prosecutor Says He'll Stop Charging Simple Marijuana Possession
Marion County, Indiana, joins a growing list of jurisdictions where prosecutors are refusing to file charges for petty marijuana offenses.
Elizabeth Warren's 'Wealth Tax' Is Punishment, Not Taxation
Does economic success deserve to be punished? The Democratic Party will have to answer in the coming primaries. Joe Biden is on the correct side of it.
Who's Right on Impeachment: Rand Paul, Justin Amash, or Jeff Flake?
Libertarian-leaning legislators have markedly different ideas about the I-word. What say the Reason editors?
Why Is the Colorado Governor's Office Trying to Censor Rural News Outlets?
A spokesman for Gov. Jared Polis objects to a news story not because it’s wrong, but because of who wrote it.
Stairway to Heaven and the Scope of Musical Copyright
Led Zeppelin may have borrowed from the band "Spirit" in creating the well-known intro to their classic hit, but did they infringe anyone's copyright in doing so?
New York City Declares Using the Term 'Illegal Alien' Can Result in a $250,000 Fine
The Commission on Human Rights is likely running afoul of the First Amendment.
8 Cases Everyone Should Know from the Rehnquist Court
Dole, Morrison, Johnson, Smith, New York, R.A.V., Casey, Church of the Lukumi
The World Needs Innovators, Not Lectures From Teens, to Solve Climate Change
Finger-wagging won't overcome the collective action problems preventing action.
Maybe the Media Mishandled the New Brett Kavanaugh Book Because It's Mostly a Dud
The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation doesn't shed much light on the Supreme Court justice or the allegations against him.
Trump's Civil War Tweet Is Bad. This Other Tweet May Be Unconstitutional.
Plus: newspapers vs. Google, The Federalist vs. the National Labor Relations Board, and more...
Libel Lawsuit Over University Rape Allegations Can Proceed
So holds a federal district judge, rejecting the defendant's motion to dismiss (though of course without resolving, at this early stage in the lawsuit, who is telling the truth).
Shareholders Challenging FHFA's Constitutionality Want Supreme Court to Hear Their Case -- Even Though They Won
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders convinced the Fifth Circuit to declare the Federal Housing Finance Agency's structure unconstitutional, but they're seeking Supreme Court review nonetheless.
National injunctions and "a spirit of defiance of judicial authority"
A "sternly put" judicial opinion on national injunctions and the APA
Evidence Increasingly Indicates Trump's Ukraine Pressure Tactics Usurped Congress' Power of the Purse - and that he may have Committed a Federal Crime in the Process
If Trump used withholding of aid as leverage to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden, he both violated the Constitution and committed a federal crime. The evidence released so far strongly points in that direction, even if it is not completely definitive.
College Campus Food Policy Restricts Bake Sale Fundraisers
Campus food police are making inroads all over America
CDC Confirms That the Vast Majority of Vaping-Related Lung Disease Cases Involve THC Products
The latest findings highlight the irrationality of banning legal e-cigarettes that deliver nicotine.
Denver's Proposed $15.87 Minimum Wage Hike 'Hurts the People It's Trying To Help'
The restaurant industry would likely suffer under the legislation.
Beto Goes to Kent State, Argues Only the Government Can Be Trusted With Guns
Someone should tell Beto who did the killing at Kent State.
Prisons Are the Hardest Places to Read About Mass Incarceration
If you think a map of the moon might help an inmate escape, you might be a prison censor.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Bad language, Batman, and bias responses.
Can a Federal Judge Sentence You for a Crime Your Jury Says You Didn't Commit? The Answer May Terrify You
Congress takes up the issue of "acquitted conduct."
Almost Family Wrings Good Drama Out of Fertility Clinic Scandal
Network primetime premiere week ends with a jump in quality.
No Charges for Off-Duty Cop Who Killed Man in a California Costco
Would that outcome have been the same for those of us who aren't in law enforcement?
Trump's Trade Deal With Japan Is Good. Staying in the TPP Would Have Been Better.
Signing a trade with Japan is a small step in the right direction, but it only cancels out a portion of the damage that Donald Trump has done.
The Decentralized Web Is Coming
Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Twitter are in the federal government's crosshairs, but the technology necessary to undermine their dominance may already exist.
Prosecution for Rifle-UC-Rifle Gun Control Sticker
It's apparently happening in Tennessee -- but it's clearly unconstitutional.
American Woman Tells Hongkongers 'Safety Is More Important Than Freedom'
Under Chinese authoritarianism, they'll have neither.
Short Circuit Podcast on the First Amendment and Student Newspaper Funding,
religious organizations' right to discriminate in some employment decisions, and federal funding conditions preferring local agencies that help federal immigration enforcement.
This Obnoxious Drunk's Opinions Could Earn Him an Extra 59 Months Behind Bars
The case vividly illustrates how hate crime laws punish people for the views they express.
'Telecontraception' Secret-Shopper Study Shows Safety of Online Birth Control Services
"Adherence to guidelines among telecontraception vendors may be higher than it is among clinics that provide in-person visits," the authors write.
Betsy DeVos Threatens To Cut Funding for Duke-UNC Middle East Studies. Why Stop There?
The Department of Education alleges the universities' research is discriminatory against certain religions.
Did the President Commit Witness Tampering?
Some Thoughts on How the President's Stalwart Defenders Will Excuse This Latest Episode
Remember That Cop Who Thought She Was Entering Her Own Apartment and Shot the Guy Who Really Lived There?
Now she's on trial for murder, and she's claiming self-defense.
7 Cases Everyone Should Know from the Burger Court
Roe, Frontiero, Buckley, Craig, Bakke, Penn Central, and Cleburne
The New York Times Defends Outing Trump Whistleblower as CIA
Plus: Trump slashes number of refugees allowed in next year, big cities are shedding millennials, and more...
How Rent Control Laws Hurt Tenants
California is about to get a real world lesson in how rent control laws can't solve a housing crisis.
When is it acceptable journalistic practice to "surface" old social media posts?
Journalists should not waste time scrolling through a decade of old Facebook postings with the sole purpose of trying to find something offensive
Whether Trump Stays or Goes, We Need To Rein in Presidents and Congress
The impeachment process will be nasty, brutish, and long. It also won't cure the problem of expansive government.
