Property Rights
The Defeat of California Senate Bill 827 and the Future of the Struggle to Curb Zoning
A California bill that would have greatly liberalized zoning rules failed in the state legislature. The defeat has implications for the broader struggle to expand housing and job opportunities for the poor.
"Little Pink House" Brings the Kelo Case to the Big Screen
An impressive new movie dramatizes the story behind the famous Supreme Court case about whether it is permissible for the government to condemn homes in order to promote private "economic development."
Stossel: Little Pink House
The story of how the government can take your home against your will.
Court Rules That Seattle Law Banning Landlords From Screening 'Qualified' Tenants Is a Taking
The state court ruling also concluded the taking violates the state constitution because it is for a forbidden "private use," rather than a public one.
Maryland City Raises Property Tax on Businesses by 800 Percent, in Bid to Attract More Businesses
Now they're being sued for it.
Supreme Court Will Hear Important Property Rights Case
This could result in a ruling overturning a terrible 1985 decision that makes it very difficult to bring takings cases in federal court.
Border Control Installs Camera On Man's Property Without Asking. When He Takes It Down, They Demand It Back. Now He's Suing.
Ricardo Palacios is fighting for his right to be left alone.
City Demands $6,000 from Woman over Illegal Chickens
A municipal scheme with a private prosecution firm leads to outrageous fines in the California desert.
Exposing Taxis to Competition from Uber and Lyft Is Not a Taking that Requires Compensation Under the Constitution
A federal court correctly rejects a dubious takings claim by Philadelphia cab companies.
Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito Butt Heads Over the Fourth Amendment, Again
Gorsuch advances another property rights theory of the Fourth Amendment that Alito rejects.
This California City Is Threatening a Family Over Property Fines Sent to a Dead Woman at the Wrong Address
An already awful practice of trying to use code violations as a revenue stream gets truly grotesque.
Florida Couple Fined $50 Per Day for 'Illegal' Treehouse on Their Own Property
Cited for building the treehouse without a proper permit, the family must now file for permits to tear it down.
California Bill Cutting Back Zoning Could Increase Access to Housing and Jobs for Millions
By greatly reducing zoning restrictions on housing construction, Bill 827 could massively expand opportunity for large numbers of people.
Seattle Bans Landlords From Screening "Qualified" Tenants
The city's goal is to curb "unconscious bias." But the policy is based on dangerous premises, and is likely to harm tenants more than it benefits them.
How Using Eminent Domain to Seize Land for a Border Wall Harms American Property Owners
A new study of border takings under the 2006 Secure Fence Act finds that many owners get inadequate compensation, and that the condemnation process is flawed in other ways.
Butterflies, Border Walls, and Property Rights
The North American Butterfly Association says Border Patrol agents have harassed employees and damaged property at the National Butterfly Center.
Judge Halts Indiana Town's Cruel Attempt to Fine Residents Out of their Properties
Property owners were ordered to pay thousands for violations unless they agreed to sell to a redeveloper.
Musician Wins Return of $91,800 He Supposedly Gave Wyoming Cops
The quick resolution of Phil Parhamovich's case shows once again that standing up to money-grabbing bullies can pay off.
Thankful for Property Rights on Thanksgiving Day
Private property became the foundation for building the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.
Nebraska Regulators Approve Keystone XL Pipeline
A big defeat for anti-pipeline activists.
Minor Violations Lead to Massive Prosecution Fees in Two California Desert Towns
A couple of busted windows can result in a bill for thousands-even tens of thousands-of dollars.
Florida Appeals Court Upholds City's Veggie-Garden Ban
A court says a city can squash your property rights because it thinks vegetables are ugly.
Justice Department Bizarrely Uses Madoff to Defend Taking People's Stuff Without Convicting Them First
Twisted incentives? What are those? Rod Rosenstein doesn't seem to have heard of them.
Wisconsin Lawmakers Pass Bill to Protect Property Rights, Reverse Supreme Court Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court said local regulators could treat two lots owned by the same family as if they were a single parcel. A new law aims to stop that.
After Stalling for Two Years, CBP Returns Truck It Stole at the Border
Gerardo Serrano still has not been compensated for the expenses imposed by the seizure.
Chicago Alderman Who Told Businessman to 'Come Back To Me On Your Knees' Sued for Abuse of Power
Brian Strauss sues to protect his property rights.
Michigan Mayor Offers Seized Money as a Citizen Reward for Drug Snitching. What Could Go Wrong?
Incentives for neighbors to turn on each other. Incentives for police to find reasons to seize people's stuff and keep it.
Does the Colorado River Have Rights?
The river doesn't need rights if people have strong property rights to its water.
2 Years After CBP Took His Truck Because of a Few Forgotten Bullets, Still No Hearing
A new lawsuit argues that owners of vehicles seized at the border have a constitutional right to prompt hearings.
New York Mayor to Property Owners: Drop Dead
De Blasio literally wants to tell people what to do with their land.
Forfeiture Loot Corrupts Justice
When law enforcement agencies make money by seizing property, due process vanishes.
Jeff Sessions Lets Cops Be Robbers
The attorney general revives a program that invites law enforcement agencies to evade state limits on asset forfeiture.
Supreme Court Deals Blow to Property Rights
Chief Justice Roberts: "Today's decision knocks the definition of 'private property' loose from its foundation."
L.A. Hotel Union Misleads About Airbnb, Hoping to Get Rid of Competition
Short-term rentals are not the source of what ails the city.
A Spectacularly Stupid Idea: Governing Land as a Global Commons
Making an environmental resource a commons is tantamount to calling for its destruction.
Local Officials Are Coming for Your Garden
Local regulatory busybodies are zoning away your right to grow food in your garden.
The Prospects for Progress in Africa
Nigeria will have a higher population than the U.S. by mid-century, when one in four people on Earth will live in Africa.
SCOTUS Says States Have No Right to Money Taken Based on Overturned Convictions
If making people prove their innocence to get their property back violates due process, what about civil forfeiture?
Maine Lawmaker Targets Foragers on Private Property
Should advanced permission be required, or should land owners post signs?
The Other Side of Legalized Theft
Civil forfeiture encourages cops to loot first and ask questions never.
North Dakota Senate Says It's Fine for Police to Seize Property Without a Conviction
Meanwhile, new reforms in Minnesota improve on a 2014 law requiring criminal conviction before property can be forfeited to law enforcement
Corporate Farming Laws a Bad Deal for Farmers
A farmer in Kansas who wants to sell his property challenges the state's law.
Georgia Legislature Weakens Eminent Domain Protections
Governments in Georgia will be allowed to seize property for "economic development" purposes, undoing reforms passed in 2006 after the Kelo ruling.
