Grounding Originalism Published
My latest article on "original-law originalism" with Steve Sachs
Law & Government
Social Security Will Be Insolvent in 16 Years
So we're probably only 15 years away from Congress deciding that's a big enough crisis to do something about it.
What Did Libertarians Learn from the Mueller Report?
Reason editors discuss Russia, Biden, Moulton (?), and that television show with the dragons.
Are Food-Stamp Receipts Beyond the Reach of FOIA? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Today
Plus: Violence in Sri Lanka leads to social media suppression, and the White House wants to make it harder for pretrial diversion participants to get government jobs.
Elizabeth Warren Demands Trump's Impeachment in Wake of Mueller Report
Calling for impeachment is likely a publicity stunt for the Massachusetts senator's flagging presidential campaign.
Harvey Weinstein Is Terrible. Calling Him a Sex Trafficker Is Absurd
Nonetheless, a judge will let a sex trafficking complaint against Weinstein proceed.
In Defense of Trump Obstructing Justice (When There's No Underlying Crime)
Forget about Donald Trump and the Mueller report and think about all the little (and not-so-little) people who get crushed by the feds.
New NAFTA Would Boost U.S. Economy, but Fewer Cars Would Be Built Here
And they'll cost more to buy
Vox Symposium on the Mueller Report
The symposium includes contributions by a variety of legal commentators, including fellow VC blogger Keith Whittington and myself.
If Either Party Cared About Limiting Executive Power, Trump's Presidency Would Be Toast
Extreme partisanship and the desire for power will play as big a role in saving Trump's presidency as his aides did by ignoring his orders.
Trump May Not Be Guilty of Obstruction, but He Is Guilty of Arrogant Stupidity
The president heedlessly created the appearance that he was trying hard, though ineptly, to hide something.
Bipartisan Support for Electric Vehicle Handouts Betrays Taxpayers
Corporate welfare raises its ugly head again.
So Much for the Anti-War President
As a candidate, Trump promised to end pointless Middle Eastern wars. He just vetoed a resolution to do exactly that.
Justice Department Decides Not to Appeal Court Ruling Striking Down Federal Law Banning Female Genital Mutilation
The decision is likely to be unpopular. But it is the right thing to do nonetheless, as the law is unconstitutional. Not every evil must be addressed by a federal law.
The Washington Establishment Seems Pretty Happy About Julian Assange's Arrest
The WikiLeaks founder has few if any defenders in Congress.
GAO: Current Federal Fiscal Situation Is 'Unsustainable'
America will face "serious economic, security, and social challenges" if the national debt keeps growing at this rate.
'Nobody Wants To See a Government Speech Police': Senate Republicans Threaten To Regulate Facebook and Twitter
They say the social media companies display a bias against conservatives.
Rand Paul Presses Mike Pompeo on Iran: 'You Do Not Have Our Permission To Go to War'
Does the Trump administration think it can wage war in Iran without congressional approval? Mike Pompeo won't say.
Fake News and the First Amendment: Free Speech Rules (Episode 3)
Episode 3 of Free Speech Rules, starring UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh
Virginia Governor Rekindles Heated Abortion Debate
A Southern officeholder gains little from pushing for a right to post-delivery abortion.
Standing on the Shoulders of Tyrants
Donald Trump's rhetoric is breathtakingly authoritarian, but so far he's done less than his predecessors to expand executive power.
House Votes To End Unauthorized U.S. Involvement in Yemen (Again). Justin Amash Votes Present (Again).
The bill now goes to President Trump's desk.
Will Congress Finally Protect State-Legal Pot Businesses From the Feds?
A bill introduced Thursday with bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress would stop federal law enforcement from targeting states with legal weed.
States Sue Over School Lunch Changes, Say They're Not Scientific Like the Obama Rules Based on Retracted Nutrition Studies
Plus: Pete Buttigieg says no to "free college," and the problems with Elizabeth Warren's plan to jail business execs
Over-the-Counter Birth Control Bill Launched by Senate Republicans
It would fast-track FDA review of applications to free the pill from prescriptions and let people use health savings accounts for non-Rx drugs.
An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: What Prostitutes and Big-Wave Surfers Can Teach Us About Risk
Allison Schrager wants to change the way you take chances.
Gravity Knives, Bump Stocks, and Lawless Law Enforcement
New York cops and the president arbitrarily turn legal products into contraband.
Privacy-Minded Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Stop NSA from Collecting Your Phone Records
The feds have allegedly abandoned the program. These four want to make sure it stays dead.
Justin Amash Wants To Kill the Zombified Remains of the Export-Import Bank
The bank has been operating as a shell of its former cronyist self since 2015. Just put it out of its misery already.
Donald Trump's Bump Stock Ban Turns Peaceful Gun Owners Into Felons by Fiat
The ban, which took effect this week, usurps congressional authority by rewriting an inconvenient law.
Bill Could Solve 'Compliance Labyrinth' Facing Some Businesses After SCOTUS Online Sales Tax Ruling
The legislation would exempt sellers who gross less than $10 million in annual sales from owing taxes to other states.
FOSTA's First Test Targets Cloud Company Used by Backpage
Plus: a Robert Kraft/spa-sting update, Florida sex-buyer registry nixed, D.C. activist alleges entrapment, and more sex-work and sex-policy news.
Doctor Convicted of Child Abuse Still Getting $100,000 Annual Taxpayer-Funded Pension
The laws governing public pensions allow for horrible people to collect government benefits.
Trump's Hotheadedness Was His Saving Vice
The president's lack of self-restraint helped protect him from impeachment.
The Internet Doesn't Need Saving
But that might not stop House Democrats from Net Neutrality-related histrionics.
About that Campus Free Speech Executive Order
A crude tool unlikely to do much good and that might do some harm.
Unanimous Juries and Incorporation of the Bill of Rights
Unanimous juries (like the ban on excessive fines) might be an easy case; but at some point we will need a theory.
Preet Bharara's Boy Scout Manual of 'Doing Justice'
The former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York unconvincingly channels Atticus Finch in his legal memoir.
Trump: 'Universities Have Tried to Impose Total Conformity. That Changes Starting Right Now.'
The president signed an executive order supporting free speech on college campuses.
Trump Will Sign Executive Order Requiring Colleges To Promote 'Free Inquiry' If They Want Federal Research Funds
"It is the policy of the federal government to encourage institutions to foster environments that promote open, intellectually engaging, and diverse debate."
Congress Grows a Spine
Thank Donald Trump for the belated attempt to enforce the Constitution's separation of powers.
"Your Honor, My Stomach Just Naturally Produced Alcohol"
"Auto-brewery syndrome" (or "gut fermentation syndrome") is apparently a thing -- but, the Maine high court says, the judge permissibly excluded a particular expert who wanted to testify this thing might have happened in this case.
Wilbur Ross Says He Did Not 'Intentionally' Mislead Congress About the Census
The commerce secretary falsely portrayed the decision to include a citizenship question as a response to a Justice Department request.
Trump's Budget Effectively Guarantees Trillion-Dollar Deficits Until 2030
Once you get past the rosy economic expectations, it's clear that Trump's budget is not a serious effort at fiscal restraint.
A Tattooed Libertarian on the Arizona Supreme Court: Clint Bolick's Long Fight for Freedom
Q&A with the co-founder of Institute for Justice about immigration, his legal philosophy, his battles with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and that tattoo.
