Law & Government
Further Thoughts on the Dobbs Leak
There is much, much less in the leaked draft than meets the eye
Some More on Expert Witnesses in Libel Lawsuits
Former Congressman Alan Grayson, now running for the Senate in Florida, is producing some interesting caselaw.
Samuel Alito Thinks It's Obviously Absurd To Suggest That Drug Prohibition Violates the Constitution
The justice overlooks the long American tradition of pharmacological freedom and the dubious constitutional basis for federal bans.
Biden Brags About Falling Deficits, but the Federal Fiscal Situation Is Still 'Unsustainable'
Under current policies, Social Security and Medicare will consume 85 percent of all federal tax revenue by 2050.
Reversing Roe v. Wade Wouldn't be the First Time the Supreme Court Gutted Precedents that Protect Individual Rights - Far From it
That fact doesn't necessarily justify overruling Roe. Depending on how it's viewed, the history of such reversals may even counsel against further such moves.
Senate Committee Approves Climate Treaty
The pact will phase down the use of HFC coolants.
New Resolution Would Allow the President To Send U.S. Troops to Ukraine
Like AUMFs before it, Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s proposed authorization would lead to less transparency in conflicts and more unilateral decision making.
Josh Blackman: Sam Alito, Roe v. Wade, and Libertarians
Does returning decisions about abortion to the states increase liberty or shrink it?
J.D. Vance Takes Victory in Ohio GOP Senate Primary
The former venture capitalist will face Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic nominee, in November's general election.
What the Leaked Abortion Opinion Gets Wrong About Unenumerated Rights
The Constitution protects many more rights than it mentions.
Trump's Endorsement of 'J.D. Mandel' Sums Up Ohio's GOP Senate Primary
If even Donald Trump can't tell the candidates apart, what hope do Ohioans have?
Boston Can't Exclude Christian Flag from City Hall Flagpole When It Allows Many Other Groups to Fly Flags
So the Supreme Court held this morning, though it made clear that a city could pick and choose which flags it flies, if it makes clear that the flags are its own speech.
Supreme Court Rules Boston Was Wrong To Bar Christian Flag From City Hall
The justices unanimously agree that the city was not endorsing the flags, and that therefore it couldn’t exclude religious organizations.
Originalism, Common Goodism, and Conservative Constitutionalism
Adrian Vermeule responds to Judge Bill Pryor, and others comment on "Common Good Constitutionalism"
AOC Defends Due Process as Colleagues Greenlight Asset Seizure Bill
Plus: Homeland Security's new Disinformation Governance Board, the FDA's menthol ban, and more...
The Jurisdiction Problem in the Church Autonomy Cases
Courts are all over the map about jurisdiction, but the label isn't as important as the substance.
Stop Using Legislation To Virtue Signal
Both Republicans and Democrats are abusing states' police powers to achieve performative political goals. They should stop.
How Worrying Are Pro-Trump Gubernatorial Candidates Running on Rigged Election Claims?
It may not be a successful strategy in general elections, but it's still deeply unnerving.
A Framework for Analyzing a Church Autonomy Defense
Some doctrinal tools to appropriately limit church autonomy.
Church Autonomy and Church Accountability as Complimentary Principles
Church autonomy coexists with state responsibility, as a matter of history and theory.
Anthony Fauci Thinks Scientific Expertise Trumps the Rule of Law
The president’s COVID-19 adviser embodies the arrogance of technocrats who are sure they know what’s best for us.
Biden Begins Using Clemency To Ameliorate the Damage Done by the Draconian Drug Policies He Long Supported
The 75 commutations announced today, while impressive compared to the pitiful records of previous presidents, pale beside a huge backlog of petitions.
Courts Struggle to Articulate the Limits of Church Autonomy
They know there are limits—but what are they?
What Is Church Autonomy?
A primer on a religious liberty issue that went from a backwater to a hot topic in the last decade.
If the CDC's Mask Mandate Is 'Necessary for the Public Health,' Why Didn't the DOJ Seek a Stay To Restore It?
The Biden administration's main priority seems to be leaving the agency's authority vague enough to allow future interventions.
She Says Her Son Died After Smoking Insecticide While He Was Supposed To Be on Suicide Watch. Now She's Suing.
The lawsuit says there have been multiple deaths from neglect and poor suicide prevention policies at the Louisiana prison where Javon Kennerson died.
Fraud Prosecution for Specific False Statements About Meat Claimed to Be Halal Allowed,
though laws generally banning mislabeling food as “halal” (or “kosher”) violate the Establishment Clause.
Town Official Lies, Files Lawsuit When Someone Calls Him a Liar
A town attorney threatened a local activist with a frivolous lawsuit so she would stop criticizing him. She complied, and he sued her anyway.
Fauci Says CDC Mandates 'Should Not Be a Court Issue'
That's a fundamentally anti-democratic attitude.
Congress Won't Legalize Pot Anytime Soon, but It Could Protect Marijuana Businesses by Passing Banking Reform
Chuck Schumer seems less interested in achieving cannabis reform than in making political hay from his inevitable failure.
The DOJ Is Reluctant To Continue Defending the CDC's Mask Mandate Because It Worries It Will Lose Again
Clarifying the agency's authority could impede future power grabs.
Even If the CDC's Mask Mandate Made Sense, That Would Not Make It Legal
The decision against the rule hinged on whether the agency had the power it asserted.
High Inflation Means Rising Tax Bills
The current run of price and wage increases could tip taxpayers into higher brackets, where they will owe larger slices of their income to the government.
Tax Day Is Here, Because Government Bungling Won't Pay for Itself
If you resent government incompetence and malice, maybe your devalued dollars will buy less of it.
May the President Prospectively Appoint a Supreme Court Justice to a Seat that Is Not Yet Vacant? (Updated)
A newly released memo from the Office of Legal Counsel suggests the answer is "yes."
Dianne Feinstein and the Dangers of Gerontocracy
Plus: Wikipedia vs. crypto, Elon Musk takes on Twitter, and more...
Will the Supreme Court Consider the Social Cost of Carbon?
Not a single judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sought to reconsider a stay of a district court opinion barring consideration of the Biden Administration's social cost of carbon estimates.
Local Lawyers Think 'Gross Negligence' Explains an Unlawful Murder Charge Based on a 'Self-Induced Abortion'
Starr County District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez has yet to explain how this egregious error escaped his notice.
A Federal Jury Delivers a Rebuke of FBI Entrapment
The agency’s tactics doomed the prosecution of defendants who allegedly planned to kidnap Michigan's governor.
Democrats Might Soon Rediscover the Value of the Filibuster
Some liberal political analysts are warning that Republicans will gain a big Senate majority over the next two elections.