Friends of John and Elena
Surrogates of the once and future Chief Justice are talking to the press.
Year: 2022
New Oregon Wastewater Rules Threaten Portland's Food Cart Culture
Compliance could prove impossibly expensive for independent food sellers.
Keri Blakinger Is a Figure Skater and a Felon
"The most valuable thing taken away while in prison is time," says the author of Corrections in Ink.
How Venture Capital Made the Future
Sebastian Mallaby's The Power Law explores how venture capital and public policy helped shape modern technology.
En Banc Eleventh Circuit Rejects Legal Challenge to School District's Bathroom Policy
The Appeals Panel Rejects a Trangender Student's Bid to Use Bathroom Corresponding to the Student's Gender Identity Instead of Biological Sex.
N.Y. Law Banning Gun Carrying in Churches (Including When Authorized by Church) Unconstitutionally …
discriminates against religious institutions
SCOTUS in Fall 2022: Longer Arguments, Fewer Opinions
The Supreme Court's oral arguments have become significantly longer, but the Court has yet to issue an opinion on the merits so far this term.
Biden Administration Finalizes New WOTUS Definition for the New Year
The EPA and Army Corps have finalized a revised definition of "waters of the United States," which defines the scope of federal regulatory jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.
The Pandemic Was a Disaster for Housing Affordability. 2023 Might Be a Little Better.
Rents and home prices skyrocketed almost everywhere over the past two years. There's some hope new supply will bring costs down in the new year.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Sikh Marines, MAGA hats, and racist memes.
Yet Another Senator Bungles the First Amendment To Justify Censorship
This week, a clip of Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin claiming that speech that espouses "hate" and "violence" is not protected by the First Amendment made the rounds on Twitter, sparking sharp backlash.
Criminal Procedure Casebooks and Generational Change
Thoughts on revising a classic Crim Pro casebook.
2022 Was the Year of Hubris
The tendency of those in power to topple or embarrass themselves by overreaching should provide a lesson to policy makers.
Judge Rules Illinois' Elimination of Cash Bail Unconstitutional
The governor and attorney general say they’ll appeal to the state Supreme Court.
What the Southwest Meltdown Means for Airline Policy
Re-regulating the airline industry won’t help prevent massive service disruptions in the future.
Is Biden Playing a Double Game on Title 42 "Public Health" Expulsions of Migrants?
The Administration claims to want to end the policy. But, as Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell points out, it is actually expanding its use.
Libertarian Radio Host Ian Freeman Convicted for Helping People Buy Bitcoin
Freeman, an early adopter of the virtual currency, gets slammed by a state that can't tolerate any use of money without its permission and knowledge.
Cops Question Connecticut Mom Who Let 7-Year-Old Walk a Mile
"She is way too young to be walking this distance by herself," said the cops.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams Wants You to Love Big Brother
A surveillance state is no less tyrannical when the snoops really believe it's for your own protection.
Review: Why Does the CIA Need a Podcast?
The director worries that the public doesn't trust his spy agency.
Review: D.C.'s Planet Word Museum Celebrates Language
Libertarians should recognize language as a quintessential example of spontaneous order.
New York's Ultra-Broad Definition of "Blight" Continues to Enable Eminent Domain Abuse
In this case, it enables the state to declare the area around Penn Station in New York City "blighted" and thereby authorize the use of eminent domain to take property for transfer to private interests.
Institute for Justice: Totally Worth Your Donations
As I've mentioned before, it's one of the public interest law firms that I admire most.
Wealthy Connecticut Residents Received Millions in Federal Dollars After Hurricane Sandy
It shouldn't be the federal government's responsibility to protect wealthy homeowners from the inevitable.
Rand Paul Complains That Democrats Squandered Their Opportunity To Enact Marijuana Reforms
The prospects in the next session, when Republicans will control the House, are iffy.
NYPD Cynically Suggests Parents Know Better Than Lawyers How To Guide Children Through Interrogations
Criminal justice advocates are pushing to pass legislation to tighten rules for juvenile interrogations, but the NYPD is not on board.
Prof. Amna Khalid (Carleton) on the Hamline Muhammad Painting Controversy
"On Hamline University's shocking imposition of narrow religious orthodoxy in the classroom."
A Top-Ranked High School Hid National Merit Recognition From Students for Years
Administrators at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology reportedly hid top academic awards from students to not "hurt" the feelings of their classmates.
California Congresswoman Katie Porter Blamed, Punished a Staffer For Allegedly Giving Her COVID-19
"She never spoke a word to me after this," the staffer, Sasha Georgiades, tells Reason.
The Fight Over Kids at Drag Shows Is a Classic Moral Panic
Florida threatens a venue for letting minors attend a sexualized holiday cabaret performance with their parents.
Doing Pickering Balancing Right
It is not a workplace "disruption" that co-workers objected to a MAGA hat
Court Refuses to Block California Ban on COVID "Treatment or Advice" That's "Contrary to the Standard of Care"
The law bans doctors from providing "treatment or advice" "to a patient" "related to COVID-19" when that treatment or advice includes (1) "false information" (2) "that is contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus" (3) "contrary to the standard of care." The law regulates only speech to patients, not to the public at large.
Teacher Can Proceed With First Amendment Lawsuit Over Threatened Punishment for Wearing MAGA Hat to Training
A defendant had argued that she could allow Black Lives Matters posters but forbid MAGA hats on the theory that, "While the Black Lives Matter poster is a symbol of cultural acceptance and inclusivity ... Mr. Dodge's MAGA hat is a symbol commonly associated with white supremacy and other anti-immigrant sentiments." No, says a Ninth Circuit panel.
Congress and the Federal Reserve Could Be Setting Us Up for Economic Disaster
If lawmakers keep spending like they are, and if the Fed backs down from taming inflation, then the government may create a perfect storm.
Ohio Supreme Court Rejects Deference to Agency Statutory Interpretations
A new opinion concludes Ohio courts need not defer to agency interpretations. The justices are not unanimous, but no justice writes in favor of deference.
The Supreme Court Weighs the Future of Section 230
The famous internet law is headed for the High Court.
Psychiatrists Do Not Know What They Are Treating
The mysteries of the mind are harder to unravel than psychiatrists pretend.