What Happens When a County Employee Acts Like a Police Officer?
A highway engineer got qualified immunity for detaining drivers—despite not being a cop.
Minnesota
The Nation's Worst Rent Control Law Gets a Few Moderating Fixes
The St. Paul City Council passed a series of amendments to a voter-passed rent stabilization ordinance that exempt new construction and make it easier for landlords to factor inflation into rent increases.
Minnesota Engineering Board Fines, Censures Engineer-Activist for Calling Himself an Engineer
Licensing authorities are penalizing Strong Towns founder Charles Marohn for referring to himself as a professional engineer while his license was briefly expired.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Rent Control, Arizona Alt Fuel, Ballot Access (Vol. 8)
Good intentions, bad results.
Is the Nation's Harshest Rent Control Law Unconstitutional, or Just Counterproductive?
Two St. Paul, Minnesota, landlords claim that the city's restrictions on rent increases above 3 percent amounts to a taking of their property without due process or compensation.
The Dangers of Rent Control on Display in the Twin Cities
St. Paul has seen a 61 percent decrease in building permits after the city imposed rent control on future housing.
America's Most Controversial Rent Control Law Is Getting a Hasty Makeover
A collapse in new development activity followed St. Paul voters' approval of a strict, vaguely written rent control ordinance. City and state officials are scrambling over how best to fix the new law.
A 93-Year-Old Woman Couldn't Pay Her $2,300 Tax Bill. The Government Sold Her Home and Kept the Money.
"This is very bad for property rights."
Police Misbehavior Is a Crucial Threat to Liberty
Cops in Los Angeles killed a young girl in a department store dressing room by accident while firing at a suspect armed with nothing more than a bike lock.
Developers Halt Projects, Mayor Demands Reform After St. Paul Voters Approve Radical Rent Control Ballot Initiative
Unlike almost every rent control law in the country, the ordinance passed by St. Paul voters includes no exemption for new construction.
The Minnesota Supreme Court Rejects the Legal Theory Underlying a Murder Charge Against Derek Chauvin
The ruling won't help him much, because he also was convicted of a more serious charge, based on a "particularly weird" form of the felony murder doctrine.
Minnesota Poised to Pass Policing Bill That Would Restrict Asset Forfeiture and No-Knock Raids
The bill would limit petty seizures and require more reporting and oversight of no-knock raids.
3 Young Minnesotans Sue the State for Their Right To Bear Arms
A new lawsuit challenges Minnesota's law requiring a person be at least 21 years old to carry a handgun.
Minnesota Threatens To Fine This Engineer for Calling Himself an Engineer
Charles Marohn called himself an engineer in speeches and articles while his license was temporarily expired. The First Amendment protects his right to do that.
The Chauvin Verdict Is a Reminder That We Still Need To Abolish Qualified Immunity
Most victims of police misconduct never get to take their cases to court.
Derek Chauvin Trial Judge Thinks Maxine Waters Gave the Defense an Option for Appeal
Plus: All American adults are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and Keith Olbermann briefly returns to the spotlight.
Overcriminalization Killed Daunte Wright
A police officer pulled the trigger. But Wright shouldn't have been pulled over in the first place.
The Changing Faces of George Floyd Square: Dispatch From Minneapolis
Sometimes vibrant, sometimes crime-ridden, a local tells Reason what it’s like to live blocks from where George Floyd died.
They Served Their Sentences. Now They Want To Know When They Can Go Home.
Programs that keep sex offenders indefinitely confined face new challenges.
A Reinstated Third-Degree Murder Charge Gives Jurors Another Option To Convict Derek Chauvin for Killing George Floyd
Like the felony murder charge, it carries a presumptive sentence more than eight years longer than the manslaughter charge.
Derek Chauvin May Get a Sentence Much Shorter Than the One William Barr Thought Would Be Seen As Too Lenient
The former attorney general reportedly nixed a plea deal that involved a sentence of more than 10 years but would have precluded a federal prosecution.
Civil Commitment of Sex Offenders Pretends Prisoners Are Patients
The practice evades constitutional constraints by casting punishment and preventive detention as treatment.
Americans Are Sick of Arbitrary COVID-19 Restrictions
A year into the pandemic, politicians still have not digested the dangers of careless public health measures.
Senseless Restrictions on Outdoor Activities Undermine the Goal of Curbing COVID-19
By arbitrarily foreclosing relatively safe social and recreational options, politicians encourage defiance, resentment, and riskier substitutes.
More Cops Say They Won't Enforce Coronavirus Curfews
Plus: Biden definitely wins Georgia, Alaskans approve ranked-choice voting, Facebook faces next antitrust lawsuit, and more...
The Fight Over Derek Chauvin's $1 Million Bail Shows the System Is Irrational and Broken
The ex-cop charged with killing George Floyd should be allowed to await his trial in safety. That should be the standard for everybody.
Minneapolis City Council's Promise To Dismantle Police Is Now in Political Limbo
Aggressive sloganeering doesn't necessarily lead to policy reforms.
Writer-Activist Hit With Licensing Complaint for Calling Himself an Engineer
Licensing laws can be weaponized to chill speech.
Video Shows Cops Slashing Tires Across Minneapolis During Protests
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety says they were scared people would drive too fast.
Minneapolis Leaders Vow To Defund the Police
Plus: Police unions love Amy Klobuchar, Seattle can't quit tear gassing protesters, and more...
Derek Chauvin's Murder Trial Will Be All About 'Reasonableness'
And that means breaking through the "blue wall of silence."
The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of the 'Outside Agitator' Story
The perpetual scapegoat for unrest
Black Civilians Arm Themselves To Protest Racial Violence and Protect Black-Owned Businesses
They're using their Second Amendment rights to protect local businesses from riots and looting.
Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin Charged With Murder of George Floyd
Riots have raged in the city in response to Floyd's death.
Minneapolis Police Killed George Floyd, Then Failed To Protect Property Owners From Riots
Police departments exist to protect people's persons and property. The Minneapolis Police Department has failed to do either.
Minnesota Man Dies After Video Shows Cop Pressing Knee to His Neck for Nearly 8 Minutes
Minneapolis police said George Floyd died after he "appeared to be suffering medical distress."
Minnesota Churches Aren't Asking the Governor for Permission To Reopen
If the Mall of America can reopen on June 1, why can’t the Cathedral of St. Paul?
Minnesota Is Latest State to Consider Ban on Single-Family Zoning
State legislators want to allow duplexes statewide and eliminate local governments' ability to impose aesthetic design requirements.
