Elon Musk Versus the California Coastal Commission
The state's powerful coastal land-use regulator is arguing its awesome development-stopping powers applies to rocket launches as well as housing.
State Governments
'It's the First Amendment, Stupid': Federal Judge Slams Florida for Threatening TV Stations
The state has been demanding that TV stations remove political ads in support of a reproductive freedom amendment on the ballot this year.
No Place To Go
Despite homelessness being on the rise, local governments keep cracking down on efforts to shelter those without permanent housing.
Secession Is Back in Style in Texas
Can't Americans all just get along? Maybe we can't—and perhaps we shouldn't have to.
Home Kitchens Are Under Attack by Regulators
Americans are turning to home-cooked meals, but state regulators are making it harder for small food businesses to survive.
Oklahoma's Push for Bibles in Schools Comes With a Trump-Sized Price Tag
Ryan Walters' strict stipulations make it clear he’s steering Oklahoma schools to purchase Donald Trump’s Bibles at a hefty cost.
Learning the Wrong Lessons From the Eminent Domain Legacy at Chavez Ravine
Progressives are trying to fix the errors of the past, but they're ignoring the best solution: More robust property rights.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Vetoes Car Speed Alarm Bill
He returned S.B. 961 to the California Senate for all the wrong reasons.
A Prosecutor Allegedly Told a Witness To Destroy Evidence. He Can't Be Sued for It.
Absolute immunity protects prosecutors even when they commit serious misconduct on the job.
Mandatory ID Checks for Nonalcoholic Beer?
Some people really think nonalcoholic beer is a gateway to alcoholism.
Will SCOTUS Take on New York's Latest Eminent Domain Scam?
Two brothers are asking the Supreme Court to stop their town from using eminent domain to steal their land for an empty field.
These Pro-Lifers Don't Love Abortion Bans
Reason talked with pro-life Americans who are uncomfortable with the post–Roe v. Wade abortion policy landscape.
California Lawmakers Think They Can Outsmart AI
Politicians are always trying to control what they can't understand.
Season 2, Episode 3 Health Care
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Permission Slips for Innovation
Part Two: How Certificate of Need laws limit access to health care, and why those rules can be so difficult to dislodge.
States Are Trying To Force the Bible Into the Classroom
“The separation of church and state appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or Constitution," a top Oklahoma education official said in defense of the state's Ten Commandments decree.
States Are Banning This DIY Rape Kit
This company made a product to serve victims who don't want to go to police right after a sexual assault. Some politicians want to ban it.
Can This Psychedelic Help Cure Opioid Addiction?
This Kentucky Republican won't stop until he finds a state willing to make legal room for ibogaine, a drug he calls "God's medicine."
An Efficiency Commission Led by Elon Musk Would Be Good for the Government
The idea, proposed by former President Donald Trump, could curb waste and step in where our delinquent legislators are asleep on the job.
Season 2, Episode 2 Health Care
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Who Decides What Health Care Is 'Needed'?
Too often, it's government bureaucrats acting under the influence of special interests and against the wishes of doctors and patients, with sometimes tragic results.
Harris' Candidacy Puts a Spotlight on California's Failed Policies
From overspending to the state's overly powerful unions, California keeps sticking to the taxpayer.
The Government's Permitting Regime Is Choking the Economy
Housing costs, job availability, energy prices, and technological advancement all hinge on a web of red tape that is leaving Americans poorer and less free.
California To Bend Last-Call Law for Elite Clippers Fans
If you want to drink alcohol in California after 2 a.m., it helps to be the billionaire owner of the L.A. Clippers.
California Legislature Extends Exhausted Homebuyer Subsidies to Illegal Immigrants
There would seem to be little added fairness, and little added incentive for illegal immigration, in letting more people draw from a well that's already run dry.
Idaho Child Care Program Faces $16 Million Deficit as Bureaucrats Overextend Benefits
As conservatives push for cuts, lasting reform will require closing accountability gaps and restructuring entitlements.
Tennessee School Expels 10-Year-Old for Making a Finger Gun
The fifth-grader was punished as part of a law that requires students who make threats of "mass violence" be expelled for at least a year.
North Carolina Threatened To Prosecute Her for Taking a 'Ballot Selfie.' Now, She's Suing.
Susan Hogarth posted a photo of her primary ballot. In North Carolina, that's against the law.
California's AI Bill Threatens To Derail Open-Source Innovation
The bill’s sweeping regulations could leave developers navigating a legal minefield and potentially halt progress in its tracks.
At State Legislatures Summit, Groups Lobby for Changes to Sex Work Laws
"The conversations are overwhelmingly productive and positive," says a representative from Decriminalize Sex Work.
California's Unions Lost Their Long Battle Against Uber and Lyft
The state Supreme Court unanimously ruled that ridesharing drivers can be exempted from California's crackdown on independent contracting.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Used COVID Relief Money on Things That Had Nothing To Do With COVID
Minnesota used federal taxpayer dollars to cover state workers' parking costs, fund the Minnesota Zoo, and teach minority-owned businesses how to apply for government contracts.
Supreme Court Rejects Missouri's Attempt to Sue New York Over Trump Prosecution
Insofar as the justices split, it was due to long-standing disagreement over the nature of the Court's original jurisdiction.
VinFast Delays Production After North Carolina Seizes Property for Factory Site
North Carolina taxpayers have already spent over $96 million on the site, while state officials have seized multiple private properties.
The Best of Reason Magazine: A Baby Dies in Virginia
The lethal consequences of a common, obscure hospital licensing law.
California Forever, Forever
The company needs a lot of government permission slips to build its planned new city in the Bay Area. It's now changing the order in which it asks for them.
The Government Is Choking Off Wineries
It seems anything the government touches dies—today, it’s thousands of acres of once-productive vineyards.
She Underpaid a Property Tax Bill. So the Government Seized Her Home, Sold It—and Kept the $102,636 Profit.
Chelsea Koetter is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to render the state's debt collection scheme unconstitutional.
Netflix's 'Don't Look Up' Got $46 Million From Massachusetts Taxpayers
According to recently updated figures, more than half of the state's film production credits for 2021 went to just one film, whose two stars collectively earned over $50 million.
Firearms Policy Coalition Takes No Prisoners in Sharp Response to Thin-Skinned Maine Governor
Gov. Janet Mills’s office referred critical social media posts to the police. The FPC pushed back.
Utah's Straw Test Crackdown
Bureaucratic overreach is stirring up unnecessary trouble for Utah bartenders.
New Jersey Wants Your Baby's Genes
Collecting and analyzing newborns' blood could allow the state to surveil people for life.
The Best of Reason: Child Welfare Systems Are Trapping Innocent Families
Georgia parents were accused of child abuse after they took their daughter to the doctor. Does the state's story add up?
