Abolish the Commerce Department
Donald Trump has tabbed Howard Lutnick to be the next secretary of the Department of Commerce. He should also be the last.
Executive Branch
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.
Thomas Berry (Cato Institute) on Trump's Recess Appointment Plan
Berry explains why the plan is flawed on legal and other grounds.
Want To Lower the Political Temperature? Make the Presidency Less Important
Congress needs to reassert its powers and bring the imperial presidency back down to earth.
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.
Trump Has Many Grudges. Now He Has a Chance To Act on Them.
In his second term, the former and future president will have more freedom to follow his worst instincts.
Trump Is Not Thoughtful Enough To Be a Fascist
The Republican presidential candidate’s views do not reflect any unifying principle other than self-interest.
More on "Invasion," the Alien Enemies Act, and the Political Question Doctrine
Legal scholar Michael Ramsey points out another way courts could reject Trump's plan to use the act as a tool for peacetime mass deportation.
The Presidential We
How U.S. presidents habitually use—and abuse—pronouns to deceive.
Trump's Plan to Use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as a Tool for Mass Deportation
The plan is illegal. But courts might refuse to strike it down based on the "political questions" doctrine.
Democrats Refusing To Say They'd Accept a Trump Victory Aren't Helping
It's fundamentally different from what Republicans have tried to do, but similar enough to be worrisome.
The Appointments Clause Goes Fishing
A successful appointments clause challenge to Regional Fishery Management Councils. (Updated to fix block quotes)
Perils of Broad Presidential Power Over Tariffs
Donald Trump's plan for massive tariff increases is particularly dangerous because the White House could likely implement it without any new congressional authorization.
Looking at Reagan Through the Lens of Trump
Max Boot's biography of Ronald Reagan is deeply researched and informative, but it sometimes stumbles when it tries to use the past to make sense of the present.
Most Justices Seem Inclined To Uphold the ATF's New Restrictions on Homemade Firearms
The Supreme Court is considering whether a rule targeting "ghost guns" exceeds the agency's statutory authority.
Voters' Yearning for a Dictator Is a Danger to the Country
Contrary to public desires, the presidency should be far less powerful.
'Sometimes You Need a Strongman,' Trump Declares
The former president's attempts to put a positive spin on the term are consistent with his alarmingly authoritarian instincts.
When Biden's 'Bubble Wrap' Burst
Will the liars and hacks who covered up Biden's cognitive decline face any consequences?
Executive Power Scholarship: A Three Level Problem
Reflections on that Twitter dust-up.
Special Counsel Jack Smith Files Revised Trump Indictment in Election Subversion Case
The revised indicment is intended to address the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling in Trump v. United States.
A Revised Trump Indictment Tries To Overcome the 'Presumption' of Presidential Immunity
In charging the former president with illegal election interference, Special Counsel Jack Smith emphasizes the defendant's personal motivation and private means.
16 Red States File Lawsuit Challenging Biden "Parole in Place" Program for Undocumented Immigrant Spouses of US Citizens
The lawsuit deserves to lose. But it may well lead to a prolonged legal battle.
Neither Harris Nor Her Party Perceives Any Constitutional Constraints on Gun Control
The 2024 Democratic platform devotes five paragraphs to firearm restrictions but does not even allude to the Second Amendment.
Democrats Just Can't Quit Saving Our Souls
Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton bring millenarianism—and messianism—back.
Unlike Biden and Trump, Kamala Harris Has Repeatedly Supported Pot Legalization
The presumptive Democratic nominee has a more liberal drug policy record than both the president and the Republican presidential nominee.
Biden's Out. Harris Is In. Everyone Else Is Screwed.
Plus: A listener asks the editors if employers should be held responsible for the speech and actions of employees outside of the workplace.
Biden's Race-Ending Debate Performance Was So Bad That It Eclipsed Trump's Flagrant Falsehoods
Voters should not dismiss the former president's utter disregard for the truth as a personal quirk or standard political practice.
Fellow Democrats Force Joe Biden Out of His Reelection Bid
After facing weeks of falling poll numbers and pressure from fellow Democrats and liberal donors, Biden ended his reelection campaign. He subsequently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
Does MAGA Want Unity and Peace—or Vengeance?
Reason's Zach Weissmueller talked with Trump supporters at the Republican National Convention about heated rhetoric, the weaponization of government, and plans for unity.
Federalism Could Heal a Divided Nation
There’s less reason to fight when one-size-fits-all policies are replaced with local diversity.
Determined To Avoid Presidential Paralysis, SCOTUS Endorses Presidential Impunity
We need not conjure "extreme hypotheticals" to understand the danger posed by an "energetic executive" who feels free to flout the law.
Seattle University Webinar on the Presidential Immunity Decision
I was one of the participants, along with many other legal scholars.
How Much Does the President Matter?
We've now had two consecutive presidential administrations deploy versions of this same argument in response to questions about the fitness of the man allegedly running the federal government.
Thoughts on the Trump Immunity Decision
The Supreme Court's flawed decision largely ignores text and original meaning, and fails to resolve crucial issues.
Presidential Immunity As a Question of Executive Power
There is no textual basis for "immunity" as such, but there are structural reasons why some degree of insulation is inevitable.
Goldsmith on the Trump Immunity Decision
A thoughtful, sober take on Trump v. United States.
Two SCOTUS Cases Show How an Unaccountable Administrative State Hurts 'Ordinary People'
Contrary to progressive criticism, curtailing bureaucratic power is not about protecting "the wealthy and powerful."
The Supreme Court Didn't Destroy the Regulatory State. It Stood Up for Due Process.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says these cases will "devastate" the regulatory state. Good.
Supreme Court's Presidential Immunity Ruling Could Shield Outrageous Abuses of Power
By requiring "absolute" immunity for some "official acts" and "presumptive" immunity for others, the justices cast doubt on the viability of Donald Trump's election interference prosecution.
Liberals in Biden Panic Mode Should Learn To Love Limits on Executive Power
The Supreme Court's recent rulings limiting the powers of the administrative state are a blessing for liberals who might not control the White House for much longer.
The Supreme Court's Decision Overruling Chevron is Important—But Less so than You Might Think
It won't end the administrative state or even significantly reduce the amount of federal regulation. But it's still a valuable step towards protecting the rule of law and curbing executive power.
SCOTUS Repudiates Doctrine That Gave Agencies a License To Invent Their Own Authority
The Court says Chevron deference allows bureaucrats to usurp a judicial function, creating "an eternal fog of uncertainty" about what the law allows or requires.
SCOTUS Rules SEC's In-House Handling of Securities Fraud Cases Violates the Right to Trial by Jury
The decision rejects a system in which the agency imposes civil penalties after investigating people and validating its own allegations.
America Is in a Debt Crisis. Will Trump or Biden Address It at the Debate?
The candidate who grasps the gravity of this situation and proposes concrete steps to address it will demonstrate the leadership our nation now desperately needs. The stakes couldn't be higher.
Two Federal Courts Rule Against Biden's New Student Loan Forgiveness Plan on the Same Day
Both rulings were by Democratic-appointed judges - a result that bodes ill for the plan's future.
The Supreme Court's Dubious Use of History in Department of State v. Munoz
Justice Amy Coney Barrett's majority opinion includes significant errors, and violates some of her own precepts against excessive reliance on questionable history.
The Supreme Court May Be on the Brink of Radically Restricting Bureaucrats' Power
Chevron deference, a doctrine created by the Court in 1984, gives federal agencies wide latitude in interpreting the meaning of various laws. But the justices may overturn that.
Critics Fundamentally Misconstrue the Supreme Court's Bump Stock Ruling
The case hinged on the ATF’s statutory authority, not the Second Amendment.
