My USA Today Op Ed on the Travel Ban Decision
The op ed outlines some of the grave flaws in today's Supreme Court ruling.
Law & Government
As Markets Tank and Opposition to Tariffs Grow, Trump Stays the Course. Where is Congress?
"It's all working out great," Trump said in South Carolina. Few people seem to agree with that assessment.
Rand Paul Is Suing the Neighbor Who Assaulted Him
In a civil suit, Paul's attorney claims the senator has been the victim of "physical pain and mental suffering."
Initial Thoughts on the Supreme Court's Terrible Travel Ban Decision
Some preliminary comments on a badly flawed ruling.
Federal Judge Dismisses Climate Change Damage Lawsuits Against Big Oil
Is it really fair for we who benefited from fossil fuels to blame for global warming on those who supplied what we demanded?
Has the U.S. Constitution Lost Its Meaning? A Debate
Law professors Randy Barnett and Michael Dorf argued over "originalism" at an event hosted by the Soho Forum.
Immigration Hardliners Lose Today in an 8-1 Supreme Court Ruling
The ruling also raises questions about the future viability of "Chevron deference."
Supreme Court Rules States Can Demand Outside Online Retailers Collect Sales Taxes
A blow against federalism, tax competition, and small businesses trying to expand.
Does Justice Kennedy Want to Restore Chevron's Domain? (Updated)
Justice Kennedy calls for reconsidering parts of the Court's Chevron jurisprudence.
Justice Kennedy Questions Chevron Deference
In a concurring opinion issued today, the Supreme Court's key swing vote justice expressed serious misgivings about a major Supreme Court precedent requiring courts to defer to executive branch administrative agencies.
A Little-Noticed Legal Ruling That Is Bad News for Trump
Can the president of the United States be sued for damages in a civil proceeding?
Eliminate, Don't Expand, Electric Vehicle Credit
Congress should resist the call of special interests.
Senate Can't Muster Votes to Trim 0.08 Percent of Federal Budget
Trump's plan to cut $15 billion in spending really would have cut only about $1.1 billion. Its rejection is depressing anyway.
You Might Have a 'Uniquely Compelling' Reason to Find Out Whether Your Government Has Placed You on a Kill List
Bilal Abdul Kareem has been nearly droned in Syria five times already. A federal judge agrees his lawsuit over the matter can proceed.
LAUSD's Fiscal Crisis Can't be Blamed on Charter Schools or Declining Enrollment
Rising benefits costs and a bloated administration is putting Los Angeles' schools deep in the red.
How to Make a Pension Crisis Worse: N.J. Officials Want Back in, Without Paying for It
A bill would allow some officials retroactive access to potentially 10 years of pension payments. Guess who would be on the hook for it?
Maybe Snatching Toddlers From Their Asylum-Seeking Parents Is Who We Are: Podcast
Reason editors discuss what anti-immigration fantasy looks like when translated into policy, and how education diversity goals lead to discrimination.
Congress Wants to Ban Sex Dolls That Look Like Kids
The bill is called the Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots, or CREEPER, Act. Of course.
Pensions, Administrative Bloat, and the Success of Charter Schools Are Driving the Los Angeles Public School System Towards Insolvency
The school district points fingers at charter schools instead of trying to slim down and compete, a new report says.
Hey, Libertarians, Maybe Republicans Just Aren't That Into You
June 12 was not a good day for free-market constitutionalism in the modern GOP.
Plan to Break Up California Makes Fall Ballot
Voters will get to consider a plan to create three smaller states, but politicians will make the call.
Activists Attempt Last-Minute Effort to Save Net Neutrality
But their chances of getting the FCC repeal overturned remain slim.
Virginia's Primary About Who Controls the GOP Now
Is the Republican Party now the party of Trump?
Trump to Kneeling NFL Players: Tell Me Who I Should Pardon
The president has discovered the power of the pardon. Could that make this a moment for criminal justice reform?
Feinstein Breezes to Victory, Collapsing that 'Challenged from the Left' Narrative
But once again, California voters will get a choice between two Democrats for the Senate in November.
Flirting With Presidential Run, Former Starbucks CEO Says America Needs to Address National Debt
"There's no for-profit business in the world that could sustain itself or survive with $20 trillion in debt," says Howard Schultz. "It's just not responsible."
Did Trump Obstruct Justice? Does It Matter?
Conduct that does not meet the legal criteria for an obstruction charge could still be serious enough to justify impeachment.
Reason Totally Called the Masterpiece Cakeshop Case: Podcast
After oral arguments last year, Stephanie Slade correctly observed that "justices might have found a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card." Also on the Reason Podcast: Bill Clinton, Roseanne, Samantha Bee, Kim Kardashian, and maybe the worst celebrity of the week, Larry Kudlow.
How the Masterpiece Cakeshop Decision Strengthens the Case Against Trump's Travel Ban
The Supreme Court's ruling was based on state officials' apparent hostility to the bakers' religious beliefs. There is far stronger evidence of such hostility in the travel ban case.
A Libertarian on the Bench
Arizona jurist Clint Bolick targets judicial pacifism in medical marijuana case.
California Gov. Jerry Brown: 'A Lot of Cities Signed Up for Pensions They Can't Afford'
But he's leaving office without really addressing the state's massive public retirement problem.
AMA Castigated for Rightly Opposing a National 3-Day Limit on Opioid Prescriptions
The doctors' lobby is right that the arbitrary rule is medically unsound and misconstrues the CDC's guidelines.
Democratic Senators Who Voted Against Iran Deal Blame Collapse of Iran Deal for High Gas Prices
Having two senators who opposed the Iran deal show up to denounce Trump for pulling out of the Iran deal was only the beginning of the hypocrisy exhibition.
The Case Against Deporting Immigrants Convicted of Crimes
Immigrants who commit crimes should be punished. But no more than others who commit the same offense.
The Rise of the Food-Related Lawsuit
Here's how to tell a productive food-related lawsuit from a frivolous one.
How We Became a 'Nation of Narcs' and How To Fix It: Podcast
Reason's Mike Riggs discusses how class anxiety, busybodyism, and a lack of empathy are making America a less-great country.
Evidence Indicates there is no "Extensive" Analysis Backing Trump's Travel Ban
Despite the administration's claims to the contrary, it appears that no such thing exists. Its absence strengthens the constitutional case against the travel ban.
Intrinsic vs. Instrumental Justifications for Originalism
Some originalists believe that following the original meaning of the Constitution is intrinsically valuable, while others support it only for instrumental reasons. The difference between the two approaches has important implications.
Congress Stands With the Blue, Against the Constitution
The lopsided House vote for treating assaults on cops as federal crimes is a bipartisan portrait in cowardice.
Congress Approves 'Right to Try' Bill for Critically Ill
President expected to sign legislation allowing earlier access to experimental medication.
Congress Just Voted to Repeal a Few Bits of Dodd-Frank
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stays, but Obama-era regulations that suffocated small banks are toast.
Prison Reform Bill Passes The House; Is Prison Reform Dead?
The House passed a major, bipartisan prison reform bill backed by the White House, but it's being attacked from all sides.
A Nation of Narcs
Americans have developed a nasty habit of inviting the state into people's lives for tiny offenses. Here are three ways to turn back the tide.
The Constitutional Case for California's Sanctuary State Laws
The feds may commandeer local police into administering neither federal gun control nor federal immigration policy.
Firefighter Earned $300K in Overtime by Working More Hours Than Actually Exist
Donn Thompson was paid for more than 9,200 hours of work last year. But there are only 8,760 hours in a year.
The Farm Bill Was Bad Policy, But That's Not Why the House Killed It
The corporate welfare in the farm bill is likely to end up on President Donald Trump's desk anyway, even after a surprising defeat in the House.
Senate Votes to Halt Net Neutrality Repeal
Today's vote is a mostly symbolic victory for supporters of the Obama-era internet regulations.
Deputy Who Failed to Engage Parkland Shooter Gets $104,000 Annual Pension for Life
A travesty that sheds light on public retirement costs in Florida and around the country
