The Best of Reason: The Endangered Species Act at 50
Why have so few species been taken off the endangered species list?
Property Rights
New Edition of "Freedom in the Fifty States"
The Cato Institute recently published the latest edition of its ranking of personal, economic, and overall freedom in the states.
County Eminent Domains the Strip Club Next Door to Make Room for More Parking
Owners of Wilmington, North Carolina's Cheetah Premier Gentlemen's Club say they were blindsided by the seizure.
Our Amicus Brief in Devillier v. Texas - an Important Takings Case Before the Supreme Court
The amicus brief is on behalf of the Cato Institute and myself.
Fund Ukraine's War Effort by Confiscating Russian Government Assets
The $300 billion in frozen Russian state assets in Western nations could fund a large part of Ukraine's defense.
L.A. Wants To Commandeer Vacant Hotel Rooms as Homeless Housing
Los Angeles voters will decide in March whether to force hotels to report empty rooms to the city and accept vouchers from homeless people.
The Endangered Species Act at 50
Why have so few species been taken off the endangered species list?
'The Town Without Zoning' Elects a Pro-Zoning Town Government
Pro-zoning candidates in Caroline, New York, won the elections for town supervisor and three seats on the town board.
The Best Hope to Rein in Rent Control Is Lurking on the Supreme Court's Docket
The U.S. Supreme Court keeps putting off deciding whether to take up a challenge to New York's rent control scheme.
Several Justices Express Dismay at Long Delays in Returning Seized Cars to Innocent Owners
Without a prompt post-seizure hearing, people can lose their property for months or years even when they ultimately get it back.
Damning New Audit Finds San Francisco Takes 3 Years To Approve New Housing
The state housing officials who performed the audit describe San Francisco's approval process as a "notoriously complex and cumbersome" mess.
In Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese Plumbs the Depths of American Depravity
A masterful epic from one of Hollywood's most important, most ambitious filmmakers.
Texas School District Backs Off Effort To Seize a 79-Year-Old Man's Home for Stadium Parking
The Aldine Independent School District had wanted the property as part of a $50 million redevelopment of its high school football stadium.
St. Paul Passes Politically Practical, Economically Unproductive Zoning Reforms
Missing middle housing reforms are getting more popular. But they're not getting much more productive.
Lawsuit: Mississippi Town Declared Houses 'Blighted' Without Notice
Mississippi only gives property owners 10 days to challenge a blight finding that could lead to their house being seized through eminent domain.
Can an Unconstitutional Law Force You To Sell Your Home to a Private Investor?
A zombie law, thrown out in court, continues to wreak havoc because it’s referenced in a contract.
Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Whether there is a "Legislative" Exception to the Takings Clause
The case will consider whether the government is exempt from takings liability for imposing exactions as a condition of development rights in situations where the exaction is imposed by legislation. Unlike many Supreme Court cases, this one can be resolved very easily by applying a basic principle of constitutional law.
Supreme Court Will Review Fifth Circuit Ruling that Creates a Catch-22 for Takings Claims Against State Governments
The badly flawed lower court ruling defies the Supreme Court's landmark 2019 decision forbidding such Catch-22 traps, and threatens the property rights of large numbers of people.
Volokh Conspiracy Gets Results on Immigration and Zoning Policy
Federal and New York City officials recently adopted policy changes on migrant work permits and zoning reform similar to those advocated here (though probably not because I advocated them!)..
YIMBY Progress In California
The state legislature recently passed significant new laws constraining exclusionary zoning, thereby making it easier for property owners to build much-needed new housing on their land.
California Legislature Passes Slew of YIMBY Reforms
Two bills approved by the Legislature this week will make it easier to build affordable housing on church land and in coastal areas.
What's the Libertarian Answer to New York's Migrant Crisis?
Plus: A listener asks the editors to name America's unsung or undersung heroes.
Critics Sue Over Hawaii's Housing Deregulation, Calling It Attempted 'Genocide'
A coalition including the state ACLU, Sierra Club, and Native Hawaiian cultural groups argue Gov. Josh Green vastly exceeded his emergency powers when he waived most regulations on homebuilding.
Did NYC Just Kneecap Airbnb?
"The city is treating our private property as the city's housing stock."
Climate Liberalism in Public Choice
A nice review of Climate Liberalism by Jordan Lofthouse (and a less nice one by Robert Bradley).
Sixth Circuit Rules Owners of Cars Taken by Asset Forfeiture Have Constitutional Right to a Hearing Within Two Weeks of Seizure
The decision provides important protection for property rights, and features a powerful concurring opinion by prominent conservative Judge Amal Thapar.
Yes in My Back Yard: Puzzle #4
"Colorado resort town in which snowball fights are illegal"
To Tackle Highest Housing Costs in the Country, Hawaii's Governor Declares YIMBY Martial Law
An emergency proclamation by Gov. Josh Green offers developers the opportunity to route around almost all regulations on building homes.
The Town Without Zoning
Can Caroline, New York, resist the imposition of its first-ever zoning code?
Texas School District Threatens to Seize 79-Year-Old Man's Home for Stadium Parking Lot
The Houston-area Aldine Independent School District is considering the use of eminent domain to seize a one-acre property owned and occupied by Travis Upchurch.
New York's Migrant Crisis is Caused by a Combination of Federal Work Restrictions and Local Zoning Policy
It's the predictable result of the combination of federal regulations barring asylum seekers from working legally and local policies offering free housing, while severely restricting new housing construction.
Valuable Mercatus Center Study Surveys Progress and Setbacks in the Struggle Against Exclusionary Zoning
Eli Kahn and Salim Furth provide overview of developments in the states, and lessons that can be learned.
Another Takings Case in Which Law Enforcement Severely Damaged an Innocent Person's Property
In this case, an LA SWAT team destroyed an innocent store owner's shop in the process of trying to catch a suspect.
ACLU-Backed Complaint Says Not Renting to People With Past Evictions Is Illegal Race, Sex Discrimination
HOPE Fair Housing Center argues in a new federal complaint that an Illinois landlord's blanket refusal to rent to people with eviction records amounts to illegal sex and race discrimination.
Industrial Policy Isn't About Creating Jobs
It's a short-sighted approach that distracts us from the more important question.
Cross-Ideological Common Ground on Exclusionary Zoning
Policy analyst Justin Hayes summarizes the reasons why conservatives, progressives, and libertarians all have reason to support zoning reform.
Kenya Lifts Logging Ban, Promising Jobs and Growth
The 2018 ban led to the loss of approximately 44,000 jobs and $28 million in revenue.
Zoning Police Criminalize Kindness in Oregon
A town clamps down on distributing clothes, personal care items, and food to the homeless.
San Francisco Gets $20 Million Zoning Reform Grant the Same Week It Halts New Housing For Casting Shadows
This is the second RAISE grant San Francisco has received since the Biden administration retooled the program to reward jurisdictions for adopting zoning reforms.
Qualified Immunity Meets the Takings Clause
A Sixth Circuit decision holds qualified immunity protects a state elevator inspector from being sued for taking a hotel's property.
Why a Supreme Court Justice Who Always Votes for One Type of Litigant isn't Necessarily Biased
Justice Gorsuch has never voted against Native American interests in a Supreme Court case. But that probably isn't because he's biased in favor of Indians. He simply believes that much existing precedent in this field is biased the other way.
Study: Banning Investors From Buying Homes Leads to Higher Rents, More Gentrification
Home prices were unaffected by a ban on buy-to-rent housing in the Netherlands, but more affordable rental housing disappeared.
Federal Circuit Rules Temporary-but-Recurring Flooding of Property by the Government is an Automatic per se Taking
If the government floods private property on a recurring basis, it is automatically required to pay compensation, and owners' claims are not subject to a balancing test.
Upcoming Symposium Opportunity on "Rethinking Penn Central"
The Pacific Legal Foundation is sponsoring a symposium on this important issue, which may be of interest to legal scholars and others.
Congress Considers Bipartisan Bill Curbing Asset Forfeiture
The FAIR Act would be a significant step forward. It just passed the House Judiciary Committee on a unanimous 26-0 vote.
Congress Considers Conditions on the Government's License To Steal
The FAIR Act includes several substantial reforms that would make it harder to take property from innocent owners through civil forfeiture.
