Thursday Open Thread
What's on your mind?
Month: June 2022
Without Roe v. Wade, Litigants Look to State Constitutions for Protection of Abortion Rights
Several state supreme courts already have recognized the right to terminate a pregnancy. Will more states join the list?
'Prevention Through Deterrence' Is How You Get 53 Dead Migrants in the Back of a Truck
The men, women, and children found dead in a tractor-trailer this week were just the latest casualties of an immigration approach that encourages dangerous journeys.
Abolishing the Filibuster To Protect Abortion Rights Would Clear the Way for Republicans To Ban Abortion
Democrats aren't really this short-sighted, are they?
The FBI Kept Tabs on Mort Sahl's Jokes About It, and Hoover Thought Sahl Was a 'Sick Man'
The late standup comedian's FBI file says he "ridiculed the FBI, law enforcement, and high public officials, beyond the bounds of good humor."
Criticizing Lack of Grocery Stores in the South Bronx Means the Twitter Mob Will Try To Get You Fired
A recent college grad from the Midwest landed in the Bronx and was confused by bodega culture. This led to a social media mob, a digging up of old videos, and a firing.
Here's What Happened When Other Countries Rolled Back Abortion Rights
El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland offer a window into a post-Roe world.
The FDA's War on Juul Will Kill People
Bureaucrats say they want to save lives. But they're moving to block a tool that is proven to help smokers quit entirely.
A Broader Perspective on "My Body, My Choice"
The principle has implications that go far beyond abortion. Some of them deserve far more attention than they have gotten to this point.
Here's What Abortion Laws in a Post-Roe World Might Look Like
A pro-life group's model legislation hints at how extreme enforcing abortion bans could get.
Supreme Court Limits EPA's Ability To Impose Costly Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cuts
Any future regulations will require clear authorization from Congress.
The Case for Drinking
Alcohol facilitates human cooperation and creativity on a grand scale, says Edward Slingerland, a philosophy professor at the University of British Columbia.
Supreme Court Gives Biden Administration a (Temporary?) Win on Immigration with Final Decision of Term
Chief Justice Roberts final opinion of the term rejects the statutory challenge to the Biden Administration's rescission of the "Remain in Mexico" policy.
Biden Can End 'Remain in Mexico' Border Policy, Says SCOTUS
Scrapping the policy is an important step in restoring a fair asylum-seeking process.
Biden Administration Just Announced $6 Billion in Student Loan Forgiveness
The Department of Education continues to forgive federal debt for attendees of shuttered for-profit schools.
Supreme Court Rejects Broad EPA Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gases from Power Plants (Updated)
Chief Justice Roberts writes for a six-justice majority in West Virginia v. EPA.
California Accidentally Leaked the Personal Data of Thousands of Licensed Gun Owners
Plus: America's falling murder clearance rate, the Fed wrestles with inflation, and more...
Shoot a Cat, Lose Your Dog (and the Right to Own Other Dogs, Forever): Not Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Special bonus: It used to matter, under Washington law, that cats and dogs were both carnivorous mammals.
State of the Fifth Circuit Address
A study of the Fifth Circuit's en banc decisions over the past four years.
Christopher Alexander's Utopian Blueprint
There is telling people how to live, and there is maximizing people's ability to live the lives they want.
'This Is Freddie Gray on Video': New Haven Man Paralyzed in Police Custody
Randy Cox was arrested on gun possession charges. Hours later, he was paralyzed from the chest down.
This Innocent Woman's House Was Destroyed by a SWAT Team. A Jury Says She's Owed $60,000.
Such victims are often told they have no right to sue.
Some Countries Are Having Second Thoughts About Electric Car Mandates
The United States should consider adopting a market-based strategy for increasing electric vehicle usage.
Randy Barnett: Abortion, Guns, and the Future of the Supreme Court
The leading libertarian legal theorist talks about worrying trends at the Supreme Court as a conservative majority takes hold.
Justice Breyer's Final(?) Majority Opinion Is A Win For Federal Power
Justice Breyer consistently resisted conservative efforts to constrain federal power, so his opinion in Torres is a fitting swan song.
San Francisco Legalizes 'Missing Middle' Housing in the Worst Way Possible
Property owners can now build fourplexes in San Francisco, but only if they've owned the land for five years, place the new units under rent control, and don't try to make them much larger than a single-family home.
Ketanji Brown Jackson To Become 104th Associate Justice Thursday At Noon
The Supreme Court announces when Judge Jackson will become Justice Jackson.
The Dirty Pictures That Revolutionized Art
Brian Doherty's history of underground comix chronicles how Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, and others challenged censorship and increased free speech.
Did Cassidy Hutchinson's Testimony Clinch the Incitement Case Against Trump?
The former president's recklessness is beyond dispute, but that is not enough to convict him while respecting the First Amendment.
Abortion Rights Under the 9th and 14th Amendments
Understanding what Justice Alito got wrong in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
Alabama Draws on Supreme Court's New Abortion Decision To Justify Trans Youth Treatment Ban
Alabama's attorney general argues such medical transitioning is not rooted in America’s history and therefore not constitutionally protected.
Stephen Breyer Officially Retires Tomorrow, Opening a Seat for Ketanji Brown Jackson
“My retirement from active service,” Breyer told the president, “will be effective on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at noon.”
Final Supreme Court Opinions Tomorrow, Followed by Justice Breyer's Retirement at Noon
There are only two argued cases left for decision -- the last two to be decided with Justice Breyer on the Court.
Can the FDA Stop States From Banning Abortion Pills?
The FDA could work with the Department of Justice to sue states over mifepristone bans. But should it?
Should Women Delete Their Period Tracker Apps in the Wake of Dobbs?
Grappling with surveillance implications of Roe being overturned
January 6 Hearings Reveal More Trump Misconduct, but Was It Incitement?
Plus: Facebook censors information on abortion pills, TikTok provokes the ire of the FCC, and more...
Arizona's New Law Funds Students, Not Just Government-Run Schools
Arizona's new law should make alternative school arrangements more accessible than ever to families interested in educating their kids instead of funding bureaucracies.
