Trump's Border Wall Is a Bad Idea. So Is a Government Shutdown.
The best we can hope for is that Trump gives in.
Law & Government
House Committee Cancels Testimony of Gay Economist Who Once Joked About Taxing Gay Sex
His 16-year-old blog posts are completely irrelevant to his testimony on the minimum wage.
What Will Democrats Do With New California Supermajority?
Thanks to an anti-Trump wave that crashed across California in the midterm elections, Democrats will now have legislative supermajorities.
Here Are the 'Improvements' That Won a Senate Vote on Sentencing Reform
The last-minute changes show how hard it is to make the criminal justice system more proportionate and discriminating.
Federal Judge Upholds Maine's Ranked-Choice Voting
A Republican representative lost his seat in the new instant runoff system, so he sued.
Jeff Flake: America 'By No Means Immune' to Authoritarianism
"The road to democracy is not irreversible-not in Moscow, not in America, not anywhere."
Taxypayers Off the Hook for Sex Harassment Settlements in Congress: Reason Roundup
Plus: A congressman would "love" to regulate speech, and there's good news for hemp but not for much else in the new Farm Bill.
Congress Just Passed a Farm Bill That Legalizes Industrial Hemp. Other Than That, It's a Disaster.
The House Freedom Caucus calls it "a sprawling, cronyist agriculture bill."
Chicago Mayor Proposes Dealing Drugs, Gambling to Make Ends Meet
Rahm Emanuel wants pot legalization and a casino so the city can grab more taxes for its pension debts.
Republican Leaders Sneak Support for Yemen War Into Farm Bill Vote: Reason Roundup
Plus: Google hearing once again reveals legislative ignorance on tech and IRS auditors target more low-income taxpayers.
Rep. Justin Amash: Spending Deal 'Will Be Bad for the American People'
Drama over a possible government shutdown came to a head today. But Amash is sure of "one thing": The eventual deal won't be good for the country.
Guess Which Congressman Thought a Malfunctioning iPhone Was Google CEO Sundar Pichai's Fault
"Congressman, iPhone is made by a different company."
McConnell Says He Will Bring Criminal Justice Bill to Senate Floor for Vote
After weeks of pressure from the White House and fellow Republicans, Mitch McConnell says he will schedule a vote for the FIRST STEP Act.
Cynthia Nicoletti's Secession on Trial: The Treason Prosecution of Jefferson Davis
Constitutional theory meets criminal defense meets Civil War history.
Wisconsin Republicans Undercut Incoming Governor's Ability to Cancel $3 Billion Foxconn Giveaway
Now that a Democrat will be governor, Wisconsin GOP is suddenly uncomfortable with letting governors direct economic development schemes.
Trump Considers Tying Criminal Justice Reforms to Border Wall Funding
The FIRST STEP Act might get shoved into an end-of-year spending bill.
Libertarian Jeff Hewitt Wins Seat on Riverside County Board of Supervisors
The L.P.'s biggest 2018 winner wants to tackle California's public sector pension crisis head-on
Dual Sovereign Doctrine Under Attack in the Supreme Court
Strong originalist arguments exist for overruling the dual sovereign doctrine in a case being argued before the Supreme Court today.
George H.W. Bush Averts Government Shutdown From the Grave: Reason Roundup
Plus: France postpones planned fuel-tax hike after Yellow Vest protests.
America's Economic Health Has Improved
The U.S. rose four places in the International Tax Competitiveness Index, and this just the latest bit of good news.
Paul Ryan Is Kinda Sorry He Was a Total Failure at Balancing the Budget
Ryan presided over three years of growing deficits and laid the groundwork for worse to come.
Did I Really Once Think That George H.W. Bush Was the Worst President of My Lifetime?
A presidential derangement syndrome for all seasons
Federal Workers Warned Against Talk of 'Impeachment,' 'the Resistance'
How much does the Hatch Act cover?
The NAFTA Rewrite Is Flawed, but Not Getting It to Congress This Year Might Be an Even Bigger Mistake
Trump's best chance to enact the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement may have already passed.
Chicago Mayoral Candidate Wants To Settle City Debts by Taxing the Neighbors
The Windy City is bleeding population. A commuter tax is most certainly not going to help.
Trump Ex-Lawyer Cohen Pleads Guilty to Lying to Congress About Russian Negotiations
Negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow continued during the primaries, he now says.
In Rebuke to Saudis and Trump, Senate Votes to At Least Talk About Pulling U.S. Troops From Yemen: Reason Roundup
Plus: good signs in Supreme Court case on asset forfeiture and Ashley Judd talks prostitution.
Will a Lame-Duck Congress Once Again Overextend Itself?
It's time for a new approach on taxes.
New York's Top Court Rules Immigrants Are Entitled to Jury Trials for Crimes that May Lead to Deportation
Many face getting tossed out of the country for minor crimes. This ruling could result in big changes.
5 Questions Ahead of Alleged Charlottesville Killer's Murder Trial
James Fields' defense team reportedly plans to argue self-defense.
What's Happening in the Mississippi Senate Runoff
The race has come to be defined more by controversy than by policy.
The Case that Started All the Fuss
Judge Tigar's (ND CA) asylum decision is an especially inappropriate target for Trump's ranting, given the weakness of the Administration's position on the legal issues raised by the case.
Hail to the Chief!
We really should, as Chief Justice Roberts suggests, be thankful for the "independent judiciary" on this Thanksgiving Day.
Why the Federal Law Banning Female Genital Mutilation is Unconstitutional
FGM is a horrible crime. But banning it is one of many issues the Constitution leaves to the states, much like banning rape and murder. Yesterday's court decision striking down the law was correct.
Republican Senators Urge McConnell to Act on Criminal Justice Reform Bill
Supporters are concerned about the bill's future if it doesn't pass this year.
The 5 Worst Supreme Court Rulings of the Past 50 Years
Cases in which a majority of the Court fell down on the job.
A Lawsuit Could Decide the Fate of PBR and Other Working Class Beer Brands
America's beer market is changing, and giant beer companies are the hardest hit.
The Government Says Falconers Have to Give up Their Privacy and Free Speech Rights in Order to Own Birds. Now the Falconers Are Suing.
"I'm treated no differently from a common felon on parole."
Donald Trump Appears Clueless About the Criminal Justice Reform He Says He Supports
That could be dangerous for the policy's chances of success, as has been the case on other key policy issues during the Trump era.
Federal Judge Rules Trump White House Must Return Jim Acosta's Press Pass
The case, which pits Trump against the network he loves to criticize, has raised First Amendment concerns.
Dallas Taxpayers Are Shelling Out $725,000 to Defend an Ex-Cop Who Shot an Unarmed Teen
Bad policing is costly in more ways than one.
Ranked-Choice Voting Flips House Seat in Maine
GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin fails to get a majority vote. Jared Golden joins the House's new Democratic majority.
Bernie Sanders Targets Walmart With Latest Anti-Corporate Crusade
After taking on Amazon, the democratic socialist has a new target: Walmart.
The Republican Tax Cuts Were a Political Failure. What Does That Mean for a Party That Agrees on Little Else?
The GOP needs a new theory of government.
Is Originalism a Theory? Is Living Constitutionalism?
Legal scholar Eric Segall argues originalism doesn't qualify as a constitutional theory because originalists disagree on too many things. His case is overstated. But if it's correct, the same criticism applies to living constitutionalism.
