Law & Government
Hoover Webinar with Orin Kerr on His "The Digital Fourth Amendment"
I interviewed Orin on this program earlier this month; seems quite popular, 108K views so far.
Coming Soon to the Supreme Court: Are Tariffs Taxes?
The correct answer is: Yes, even when they are also regulations. Whether the Court agrees could determine the future of presidential power.
Elizabeth Warren Says Companies That Settled With Trump May Have Committed Bribery
While the settlements likely don't meet the statutory definition of bribery, they're still inappropriate.
Still the Stare Decisis Court (At Least For Now)
Even with a six-justice conservative majority, the Roberts Court has not (yet) increased the rate at which it overturns precedents.
District Court Dismisses Another Kids Climate Suit, As Existing Law Requires (Updated)
A suit asking a district court judge to undo every Trump Administration energy policy initiative is dismissed with prejudice; appeal to follow.
Utah's New Union Law Faces a Ballot Box Battle
Lawmakers passed sweeping limits on public sector union power, but opponents have gathered record-breaking signatures to attempt to overturn it in 2026.
Seventh Circuit Rules Against Trump's Use of National Guard in Chicago
The Court of Appeals unanimously refused to stay a trial court ruling against Trump, signaling the judges believe his use of the Guard is illegal.
Trump Erroneously Thinks Killing Suspected Smugglers Is the Key to Winning the Drug War
Until now, the president concedes, interdiction has been "totally ineffective." Blowing up drug boats won't change that reality.
Empower Stays on D.C. Streets as Appeals Court Weighs Future of Rideshare Company
The D.C. Superior Court found Empower still in contempt of court despite updating its software-as-a-service agreement and will reconvene in January.
How Josh Hawley Is Empowering Unions in New York and California
Some blue states are trying to set up their own versions of the NLRB, and Hawley is inadvertently (or deliberately) helping the cause.
How Trump Triggered California's Redistricting Fight
Don't believe the GOP's 'principled' opposition to Prop. 50
US Chamber of Commerce Files Lawsuit Challenging Trump's $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
This is the second lawsuit challenging the policy, which is both illegal and likely to cause great harm if allowed to stand.
Repeated "Nonexistent Cases" in Filing From >20-Lawyer Insurance Defense Firm
Lawyers at firms of all size, don't let this happen to you.
Texas City Council Approves $500,000 Payment to Former Member Who Said Her Advocacy Led to a Bogus Arrest
The settlement, which followed Sylvia Gonzalez's victory at the Supreme Court, also includes remedial First Amendment training for city officials.
SCOTUS Probably Won't Put Any New Limits on Warrantless Home Searches
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week about the "emergency aid exception" to the Fourth Amendment.
Even Marjorie Taylor Greene Thinks Trump's Immigration and Trade Policies Go Too Far
“We have to do something about labor, and that needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them,” the Georgia congresswoman said.
The Federal Workforce Will Be a Little Smaller After the Government Shutdown Ends
We’ll take less government however we can get it.
Deference Due? Trump, the National Guard, and the Misuse of Martin v. Mott
A guest post by Joshua Braver and John Dehn.
Is the Supreme Court's Shadow Docket Causing a 'Judicial Crisis'?
Multiple judges say SCOTUS is going out of its way to grant emergency relief to the president without even bothering to explain why.
Trump's Art of the Deal for Peace in the Middle East
Plus: new tariff threats escalate China trade war, federal layoffs begin amidst the government shutdown, and Democrats face a candidate-quality crisis
Forum Shopping in the First Circuit
An interesting Reuters report on the new locus of lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration.
DCCHS Oral History of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
A set of interviews with the late justice is now available
Glenn Jacobs on Donald Trump, the Administrative State, and Ron Paul's Legacy
"It's the administrative state and the bureaucrats who are actually populating the rules. They're the ones running most of the government," Tennessee wrestler-turned-mayor Glenn Jacobs tells Reason.
Do Federal Judges Believe We Are in the Midst of a "Judicial Crisis"?
Thoughts on the New York Times' Selective Survey of District Court Judges
California's Fast Food Minimum Wage Hike Cost the State 18,000 Jobs. That Shouldn't Surprise Anyone.
Lawmakers made an exception for smaller restaurant chains, implicitly acknowledging that the law would come with costs.
This Indiana City Doesn't Have To Pay an Innocent Mom $16,000 After Police Wrecked Her Home, Court Rules
Law enforcement launched 30 tear gas canisters into Amy Hadley's home, smashed windows, ransacked furniture, destroyed security cameras, and more. The government gave her nothing.
Trump Won't Invoke the Insurrection Act—As Long As He Can Use the National Guard However He Wants
If the courts try to enforce legal limits on the president's military deployments, he can resort to an alarmingly broad statute that gives him more discretion.
The Trump Administration Begins 'Substantial' Layoffs of Federal Workers
Civil servants are normally temporarily furloughed during shutdowns. The White House insists the current funding lapse empowers them to permanently fire workers.
Trump's Case Against Letitia James Looks a Lot Like the Case She Brought Against Him
The case is the second in two weeks, with little legal merit, filed by a neophyte prosecutor against a Trump opponent
White House Proposal To Withhold Back Pay From Federal Workers Is More Rhetoric Than Reform
A new White House budget memo frames shutdown furlough pay withholdings as fiscal restraint, but the budgetary impact is minimal—the greater effect may be expanding executive control over the federal bureaucracy.
Deploying Troops to American Cities Is an Assault on the Constitution
Federal troops are also ill-suited to handle local policing issues.
FBI Spied on Republican Lawmakers Using Surveillance Powers Many Supported
Senate Judiciary Committee head reveals legislators’ communications were monitored.
What's Really at Stake in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case?
From pretrial detention to the threat of foreign rendition, the Abrego Garcia case shows how political prosecutions and coercive plea deals have eroded the promise of a fair trial.
Amy Coney Barrett Is Right To Reject 'Common Good Constitutionalism'
Limits on government power are a venerable and beneficial feature of our system.
Rep. Chip Roy on Spending, Immigration, and the American Dream
"I think members of Congress believe that they get more popularity in votes by spending money. I actually disagree with that," the Texas Republican tells Reason.
Justice Kennedy on Originalism and Bush v. Gore
Interesting tidbits in an interview with Adam Liptak
States Are Banning Retail Sales of Dogs and Cats. It's Doing More Harm Than Good.
"By [activists'] own measurements, these bans aren't successful," says lobbyist Alyssa Miller-Hurley. "What they are successful at is fundraising."
Trump Calls for Arrest of Chicago Mayor and Illinois Gov. Pritzker
As Illinois resists the federal immigration blitz, the Trump administration ups the ante on authoritarian rhetoric.
The Economy Doesn't Need Federal Jobs Data To Function
There are plenty of private alternatives to the employment report put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Republican Socialism: The Trump Administration Buys a Stake in Yet Another Company
The federal government can't even pass a budget. What's it doing buying a mine?
Alligator Alcatraz Was Built on Secrecy, Expansive Emergency Powers, and an Unprecedented State Power Grab
Shadowy deals and unilateral powers created Florida's notorious immigration detention camp.
Licensing Boards Are Legalized Cartels
Industry insiders dominate the boards that control who can work, using government power to shut out competitors, protect profits, and block reform.
Civil Rights Group Sues ICE for Withholding Records of the Agency's Detention Expansion Plans in Virginia
Lawyers at America's largest civil liberties group say the agency’s lack of transparency violates federal disclosure requirements.
