Policy
Democrats Sharpen Tech Antitrust Messaging at Historic House Hearing
This isn't a debate about consumer needs. It's all about political control.
Writer-Activist Hit With Licensing Complaint for Calling Himself an Engineer
Licensing laws can be weaponized to chill speech.
Congress Wants To Regulate Big Tech. They Still Don't Understand It.
Plus: Trump suggests election delay, and more...
Congress Used the Antitrust Hearing To Peddle Petty Grievances Against Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google
The scary monopoly power on display Wednesday was the federal government's.
Trump Appeals to Progressive Voters With Promise To Defend Suburbs Against New Housing Development
NIMBYism comes in many different ideological stripes. Fewer homes and higher rents is always the result.
The Case for Replacing the Bar Exam With "Diploma Privilege"
The Covid pandemic strengthens the case for abolishing a requirement that should never have been imposed in the first place.
A Congressman Asked Mark Zuckerberg Why Facebook Censored Donald Trump Jr., but That Was Twitter
"I think you might be referring to what happened on Twitter."
Trump's New Fair Housing Rule Prioritizes Toxic Culture War Politics Over Deregulation
The president has ditched a promising, free market-influenced revamp of Obama-era fair housing regulations in favor of a legally dubious new rule that's heavy on local control.
County Wants Answers From Treasurer Who Seized Man's Home Over $8 Tax Bill
Officials in Oakland County, Michigan, are worried they could be on the hook for more than $30 million in payments to former homeowners victimized by an aggressive forfeiture scheme.
Boulder Refuses To Lift the Cap on Unrelated People Living Together. Housing Advocates Plan To Sue the City.
The Bedrooms Are For People campaign would repeal the city's existing limits on unrelated people living in the same house.
The Federal Government's Eviction Moratorium Expires This Week. Will an Eviction 'Tsunami' Be the Result?
Democrats in Congress are floating plans for billions more in rental assistance, and a blanket nationwide moratorium on evictions to forestall a potential housing crisis during the pandemic.
Boulder Officials Told Campaigns They Had Until August to Qualify for the City Ballot. Now They Say the Deadline Was Actually in June.
The switch threatens an initiative to repeal Boulder's restrictions on unrelated people living together.
Sen. Josh Hawley Says He 'Took on an Asian Trafficking Ring' and 'Freed a Dozen Women in Sex Slavery.' That's Not True.
As a state attorney, the young GOP senator oversaw raids of more than a dozen massage parlors, but he didn’t secure a single sex trafficking conviction.
'Music City' Finally Legalizes Home Studio Businesses
Nashville's Metro Council repeals the city's blanket ban on home businesses servicing customers onsite.
A Legal Challenge to New York's Latest Rent Control Laws
Government growth and abuses are not challenged nearly enough.
Pennsylvania Is the Latest State To Loosen Occupational Licensing Rules for Individuals With Criminal Records
Finding a steady job is the best way to keep a person from going back to prison or jail. These changes make a lot of sense.
Empowered by Excessive Regulations, 'Permit Karen' Harasses Her Neighbors and Calls the Cops
How invasive questions about a stone patio permit turned into a Black Lives Matter protest
Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Self-Flattening, or Will It Grind Relentlessly on?
Stanford epidemiological model predicts self-flattening while MIT forecasts continued epidemic growth.
Trump's Bizarre Twitter Attack on Obama-Era Fair Housing Regs Reveals an Administration at War With Itself
The president's criticism of the 2015 AFFH rule is an implicit attack on his own housing reforms.
Florida Just Passed the Most Sweeping Occupational Licensing Reform in History
The Occupational Freedom and Opportunity Act "will save thousands of Floridians both time and money for years to come," says Gov. Ron DeSantis.
New York's Highest Court Upholds Taking of Private Property for Pipeline that Might Never Get Built
The 4-2 ruling is reminiscent of the federal Supreme Court's dubious decision in Kelo v. City of New London, which also upheld a condemnation for a project that turned out to be a dud.
Business Licensing Makes It Too Easy for Politicians To Punish People They Don't Like
Making a living is a right, not a privilege, and should be respected as such.
Landlords Are Suing To Overturn State Eviction Moratoriums. State Legislators Want To Extend and Expand Them.
What started as a largely uncontroversial emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic has now become subject of intense legal and policy battles.
Lacking a State-Issued Degree Shouldn't Bar You From Pursuing Vocational Education
The Institute for Justice fights for the right to receive paid training as a farrier without a high school diploma or equivalent.
Israeli Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Authorizing Expropriation of Palestinian Private Property for Use by Israeli Settlers - and Cites my Work on Eminent Domain in the US in the Process
The decision distinguishes US Supreme Court cases allowing the government to transfer property from one private party to another for almost any "public purpose."
3 Libertarian Tips for the #DefundPolice Movement
Reducing law enforcement requires more than merely cutting and shifting a budget.
This Judge Is Wrong About Economic Liberty and the Constitution
A flawed argument for judicial passivity in cases of government regulation.
The Pandemic Is a Reminder That Many Regulations Are Both Costly and Unnecessary
It took a crisis for policymakers to see that hundreds of rules were not worth the burdens they imposed.
Make 'Temporary' Regulatory Relief Permanent After the Pandemic Passes
The health crisis revealed red tape that hobbles our lives even in good times.
County Threatens Fines, Demands Expensive Alterations From Arizona Couple Hosting Free Yoga Classes and Potlucks on Their Property
Joshua and Emily Killeen are suing Yavapai County, Arizona, for what they claim are unconstitutional restrictions on their ability to advertise their business and host events on their rural property.
Backyard Cottages Could Be the Most Feasible Type of Housing To Build During COVID-19. Some California Cities Are Still Blocking Them.
The California state legislature has done everything in its power to legalize accessory dwelling units. A new lawsuit probes whether it's done enough.
Another State Supreme Court Stands Up for Economic Liberty
Following Georgia's ruling in favor of a lactation consultant, Pennsylvania’s high court reviews another “unreasonable” occupational licensing scheme.
State Supreme Courts Stand Up for Economic Liberty While SCOTUS Falls Down on the Job
"We have long interpreted the Georgia Constitution as protecting a right to work in one's chosen profession free from unreasonable government interference."
Pelosi's $3 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill Includes $175 Billion in Homeowner, Renter Assistance, and Blanket Ban on Evictions
Democrats' HEROES Act is mostly about messaging. And it sends all the wrong messages on housing.
Democrats Want To Give Renters $100 Billion To Cope With the Coronavirus
Giving renters direct assistance is a better idea than rent cancelation, but that's not saying much.
Who Should Pay the Rent During a Pandemic?
Rent strikes and calls for rent cancellation proliferate across the country.
America Wasn't Ready for Coronavirus
Early takeaways from the country's response to a pandemic
What It's Like To Be a Rational Optimist in a Pandemic
Matt Ridley on how the coronavirus caught him by surprise, the crucial role of dissent in politics, and the importance of innovation for survival
Sen. Josh Hawley Wants a Bogus Criminal Investigation Into Amazon
The lawmaker says that the company's data practices violate antitrust law. They do not.
COVID-19 Could Force City Planners To Rethink Their Priorities
The coronavirus shutdown might alter buying patterns, as more people flee tightly packed cities for suburban, exurban, and rural areas.
Ilhan Omar's Bill Would Enable the Feds To Seize Landlords' Properties for Trying To Collect Rent During Coronavirus
The Minnesota congresswoman's proposal to cancel rents and mortgages during the coronavirus pandemic is both wildly impractical and constitutionally dubious.
Can't Afford Your Rent? Blame Herbert Hoover.
The feds pushed cities to implement zoning restrictions. High prices and social inequality were the inevitable results.
