Harsh AI Regulation From Congress Imperils Innovation
In addition to licensing regimes, there have also been calls for creating a new agency to regulate AI.
Law & Government
There's Plenty of Evidence of Corruption Around Biden
When talking heads say “no evidence,” they mean “no smoking-gun proof.”
California Was Once a Land of Boundless Opportunity. That's No Longer True.
The state's population stagnation is likely to continue for decades as younger people flee for opportunities elsewhere.
Review: In The Bear, a Restaurateur Battles Government Bureaucracy
A Chicago sandwich shop's survival depends on cutting through red tape.
Despite the Doomsday Narrative, Global Inequality Has Significantly Declined
This progress has been widely shared, to the great benefit of the people at the bottom of the distribution.
Fake Sudafed Is Bullshit, Just As You Suspected
Legal restrictions on pseudoephedrine have not reduced meth use, but they have driven people with colds or allergies toward substitutes that seem to be completely ineffective.
California Legislature Passes Slew of YIMBY Reforms
Two bills approved by the Legislature this week will make it easier to build affordable housing on church land and in coastal areas.
Kevin McCarthy's Impeachment Inquiry Provokes Predictably Polarized Reactions
Plus: The Stations of the Cross isn't a zoning violation, inflation is making people poorer, and Russian mercenaries win hearts and minds with their own branded beer.
New Light on the ERA?
A long history of amending resolutions with legal effect.
New Mexico Anti-Gun Decree Follows a Dangerous Path of 'Emergency' Rule
No response to authoritarian government actions is quicker or more reliable than non-compliance.
A Blatantly Unconstitutional Gun Edict Highlights the Hazards of Emergency Powers
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham thinks violent crime gives her a license to rule by decree.
The Best of Reason: The DEA at 50
For five decades, drugs have been winning the war on drugs.
Kevin McCarthy Announces Impeachment Inquiry Into Joe Biden
The investigation could look into "allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption" related to the president's involvement in his son's foreign business dealings.
Analyzing Removal Jurisdiction over Section Three Lawsuit in Colorado
Time to brush off your federal courts outlines.
A Cop Jailed Her for 2 Years on Fake Charges. Will She Ever Get Justice?
St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker has thus far managed to get immunity for upending Hamdi Mohamud's life.
Is a Government Shutdown Better Than More Reckless Borrowing?
Short-term solutions and governing from crisis to crisis isn't working.
Three Interviews About the Criminal Cases Against Trump and his Possible Disqualification under the Fourteenth Amendment
I recently did interviews on these topics with Reason TV, the Washington Post, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Jared Polis: Democrats Are 'More Pro-Freedom Than Republicans'
The Colorado governor finds common ground with many libertarians. But does he really stand for more freedom?
Harriet McConnell Retford on Arizona v. Navajo Nation
"[The decision] showcases the now-familiar contrast between the Court’s two different approaches to conservative jurisprudence: the strict formalism of Justice Gorsuch—a stern insistence that the United States live up to the letter of its legal obligations come hell or high water—as opposed to the status-quo, stare decisis driven conservative jurisprudence of Justice Kavanagh and Chief Justice Roberts."
Prof. Todd Henderson (Chicago) on Arizona v. Navajo Nation
"[T]he Court held that despite being a 'trustee' for the Navajo Nation and despite having promised the Navajo water sufficient to make its lands productive, the United States does not have an obligation to help the Navajo obtain that water."
The Sticky Spaghetti School of Constitutional Law
Politicians are throwing laws at the wall and seeing what sticks.
SCOTUS' Ruling in Gay Wedding Website Case Was a Defeat for Compelled Speech
"The opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion.
Alabama Says Helping With Out-of-State Abortions Is 'Criminal Conspiracy'
Alabamans have no right "to conspire with others in Alabama to try to have abortions performed out of state," argues Attorney General Steve Marshall.
California Coastal Cities' Housing Plan: Build Elsewhere
Republican-controlled Huntington Beach has sued the state government to stop enforcement of state housing mandates.
Don't Bring Back COVID Authoritarianism
People should be free to choose how cautious to be. Mask mandates, lockdowns, and closing schools won't stop the virus.
Alabama Set To Try New, Untested Execution Method
The state has filed a motion to set an execution date for Kenneth Eugene Smith, who survived a previous execution attempt.
Race Discrimination/Harassment Lawsuit Against Seattle Related to Its "Race and Social Justice Initiative" …
can go forward, says a federal court.
Why Can't You Renew Your Passport Online?
Applicants are currently waiting 10 to 13 weeks for routine processing.
Prosecution in Apple's iPads-for-Concealed-Firearms-Licenses Bribery Case Can Go Forward
"This appeal raises a question not yet addressed by any California court: whether a public official may be bribed with a promise to donate to the official's office."
GOP Debate Stuff We Didn't Hate
Plus: A listener question about the continued absurdity of sports stadium subsidies
Nurses from 40 States Will be Eligible To Practice in Pennsylvania
On September 5, the Keystone State is removing a big barrier to health care.
Limits on Using Prior Acquittal of Sexual Assault as Evidence of Guilt in a New Sexual Assault Case
"[T]he Government argue[d] that when considering that the charged offenses occurred after the acquittal, the [appellant's] tactics were emboldened and this factor weighs in favor of admissibility."
Court Reverses Sentence Because of Denial of Allocution
"Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(i) ... commands that the court must address the defendant personally to afford him the chance to speak or present evidence in mitigation."
Did Banks Hand Private Financial Data to the FBI Without Legal Process?
Banks routinely snitch on customers and even deny services to people politicians don’t like.
Should 'Sensitivity Training' Be Forced on Southwest Airlines?
A Texas judge ordered that the airline submit to training on the rights of religious believers after losing a religious discrimination lawsuit.
Does the Quality of Brief Writing Affect the Outcome of Supreme Court Decisions?
An interesting empirical study looks at whether better briefs lead to better outcomes.
Stop Publishing Mug Shots—Even Donald Trump's
Mug shots are not taken to humiliate a defendant before they've been convicted. But that's the purpose they widely serve now.
Court Rejects Lawsuit Claiming Police Discriminatorily Refused to Prosecute Rapist
The opinion was decided July 21, but was originally issued sealed; it was just unsealed today, in response to my motion to unseal.
Season 1, Episode 4 Podcasts
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Bootleggers, Baptists, and Ballots
"You need an argument for why this is good for society. That's important, but you also need money."
A GOP Consensus Emerges: Militarize the Border
In last night's Republican presidential debate, candidates floated various forms of military action against drug cartels.
Politicians Continue To Make a Mockery of 'Emergency Spending'
Legislators abuse the emergency label to push through spending that would otherwise violate budget constraints.
To Tackle Highest Housing Costs in the Country, Hawaii's Governor Declares YIMBY Martial Law
An emergency proclamation by Gov. Josh Green offers developers the opportunity to route around almost all regulations on building homes.
California Lawmakers Propose Unemployment Benefits for Striking Workers
Plus: GOP hopefuls debate tonight, Canadian link tax backfires, and more...
Donald Trump Has a Wild New Immigration Plan
A report reveals new draconian restrictions the 2024 frontrunner wants to implement, such as sea blockades in Latin America and "ideological screening" for migrants.
