Higher Education
Yes, the Middle Class Is Shrinking—Because It's Moving Up
The real squeeze comes from government-distorted markets, not economic decline.
How the Trump Administration Quietly and Quickly Took Over 3 Golf Courses in Washington, D.C.
Plus: Thank capitalism for the best parts of college football bowl season
6 Ways Sports and Politics Will Collide in 2026
From college sports to league expansion, politicians are going to have plenty of sway over sports next year.
The 9th Circuit Upholds a University of Washington Professor's Right to Mock 'Land Acknowledgments'
The appeals court ruled that administrators violated Stuart Reges' First Amendment rights when they investigated and threatened to punish him for constitutionally protected speech.
Survey: 91 Percent of College Students Think 'Words Can Be Violence.' That Could Feed Real Violence.
But there's a silver lining—sort of.
Washington Post: "Trump's Attack on DEI May Hurt College Men, Particularly White Men"
Yet the facts in the article would equally have supported the headline, "Elite Private Colleges Apparently Hurt College-Bound Women, Trump May Stop That."
Why Are 38 Percent of Stanford Students Saying They're Disabled?
If you get into an elite college, you probably don't have a learning disability.
University of Oklahoma Student Is Justifiably Shocked at Sudden Expectation She Be a Good Writer
What the controversy over a failing grade for a bad essay reveals about the true purpose of higher education.
Federal Trade Commission Staff Endorses Proposal to End American Bar Association Monopoly on Law School Accreditation
FTC staff support the proposal by the Texas Supreme Court to allow for alternative means of accreditation.
The Trump Administration Says Nursing Isn't a Professional Degree. Here's Why That's a Good Thing.
The decision isn't a value judgment. It's a recognition that nursing school is usually cheaper than medical school.
Should Affirmative Action End?
Jason Riley and Paul Frymer debate affirmative action and the Supreme Court.
US News and World Report Article Urging Colleges to Reject Trump's "Compact" With Higher Education
I coauthored the article with four other legal scholars from across the political spectrum.
College Graduates Put Socialism Back on the Ballot
Zohran Mamdani’s campaign shows how the rhetoric of working-class revolution now resonates most with the highly educated.
Schools Find Their Spines
Plus: Zohran Mamdani's photo ops, hearings on Caribbean boat strikes, how the pandemic changed the world, and more...
How To Fix College
Plus: The Dignity of Dependence, infinite scroll, ZIRP narratives, and more...
Washington Says Tax Breaks Help People. Instead, They're Corroding the Tax Code.
The expenditures are often costly privileges for special interests that mask the true size of government and fail to deliver the promised bang for the buck.
Federal Funding for Universities Comes With Strings. Now Trump Is Pulling Them.
The potential nationalization and forced revenue sharing of university patents makes a strong case for the separation of economy and state.
America Educates the World's Best and Brightest—Then Shows Them the Door
As students grapple with an unfriendly immigration system and targeted crackdowns on campus, how long will the U.S. remain the world's top study destination?
Trump Changes His Mind
Plus: War Department, government ownership stake in Intel, National Guard members become cleaning crews, and more...
College Football Is a Fun, Glorious Mess. These 7 Changes Would Make It Even Better.
How to fix the conferences, the rules, the playoffs, and more
West Texas A&M Drag Ban Defeated in Court
Obviously drag shows are protected by the First Amendment.
Advice to Entering Law Students - 2025
Some suggestions that might help you make better use of the opportunities available to you in law school.
America's Two-Front War on Science
Universities’ internal culture wars threaten free speech and inquiry, but political attacks on research funding and infrastructure are crippling U.S. scientific leadership.
The University Presidents Who Want to Fix Universities Before They Get Fixed
University Presidents are divided on how to respond to pressure from the Trump Administration. Are their concerns too little, too late?
A First Amendment Lawsuit Highlights the Chilling Impact of Speech-Based Deportation on Student Journalists
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is seeking an injunction that would protect noncitizens at The Stanford Daily from arrest and removal because of their published work.
On the Politics of University Autonomy
My new paper thinking through the political calculus of independent universities
Harvard Is Wise To Not Consider $500 Million Settlement With Trump
The university's president has maintained that Harvard will not risk losing its academic freedom, and it may delay any settlement negotiations until after a final court ruling.
Safe Spaces Are Coming Back to Brown University—All Thanks to Trump
The campus' settlement with the federal government is bound to create free speech headaches.
How Sports Tickets Got So Expensive—Or Did They?
Plus: regulating college sports, forgiving baseball’s legends, and Happy Gilmore 2
Columbia's $200 Million Deal Will Placate Trump—for Now
To reinstitute $400 million in federal funding, the university agreed to implement plans to combat antisemitism and to appoint an independent monitor to oversee changes.
Trump Administration Opens New Investigation Into Harvard, Escalating Pressure
The investigation comes only two days after a federal judge cast doubt on the Trump administration’s argument in Harvard’s lawsuit over federal funding.
Defending Its Speech-Based Deportation Policy, the Trump Administration Says 'No Such Policy Exists'
The government's gaslighting strategy suggests that federal officials are not confident about the constitutionality of punishing students for expressing anti-Israel views.
Trump vs. Harvard
Plus: City-run grocery stores, Peronists for prison, California can't figure out how minimum wage hikes work, and more...
Why Are Students Using AI To Cheat? Maybe Because They Shouldn't Be In College At All
AI cheating is often a crutch for students ill-equipped to attend a four-year university.
Trump Wants Harvard To Hand Over Info on Over 10,000 International Students
The university says it will continue to defend itself against government overreach.
The Trump Administration Says Its Speech-Based Deportation Policy 'Does Not Exist'
The government’s lawyers also say that supposedly nonexistent policy is perfectly consistent with the First Amendment.
New Jersey Lawmakers Are Considering 2 Bills To Heavily Regulate Homeschooling
Under the bills, homeschooling curricula would have to meet state learning standards and students would be required to complete annual wellness checks.
Colleges Created a Diversity Box-Ticking Game—Zohran Mamdani Just Played It
The big problem here is the elite racism of college admissions departments, not the mayoral candidate's creative box-checking.
How the NCAA Helped Trump Score Big on Transgender Issues
The organization was unfair to female competitors, was unfair to Lia Thomas, and handed the Trump administration a win on a silver platter.
I'm No Fan of UVA's President. That Doesn't Mean the Government Should Force Him Out.
Jim Ryan is the latest casualty in Trump's unconstitutional war against elite universities.
Student Visa Applicants Will Now Be Forced To Make Their Social Media Accounts Public
The Trump administration continues its war against disfavored speech.
Reason Earns 15 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place finishes include a piece on the Dutch "dropping" rite of passage, a documentary exploring citizen journalism and free speech, and a long-form interview with exoneree Amanda Knox.
The Rationale for Deporting Mahmoud Khalil Is Alarmingly Vague and Broad
Marco Rubio’s nebulous invocation of foreign policy interests is bound to have a chilling impact on freedom of speech, which is the whole point.
Capping Student Loans Won't Destroy Medical Schools
Medical school is so expensive in the first place because of a policy that gives medical students unlimited access to loans.
Texas Legislators Say They Are Protecting Free Speech on Campus by Banning 'Expressive Activities' at Night
A bill awaiting the governor's signature represents a stark reversal from a 2019 law aimed at promoting "uninhibited debate."
