Will Bitcoin Be Done In By Terrible Zoning Laws?
Local ordinances threaten upstart crypto-mining operations.
Regulation
Defending OSHA's Vaccine Mandate, Sonia Sotomayor Says 'I'm Not Sure I Understand the Distinction' Between State and Federal Powers
The justice's reference to a national "police power" raised some eyebrows.
A Drive-Thru Window Saved His Business, but Now He's Being Forced To Shut It Down
Zoning officials concede Robert Balitierrez's drive-thru window isn't causing any problems. But they say it's a code violation and has to close anyway.
The Supreme Court Seems Inclined To Block OSHA's Vaccine Mandate
Most of the justices appear to be skeptical of the argument that the agency has the power it is asserting.
Biden Is Trying to Disguise a General Vaccine Mandate As a Workplace Safety Measure
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide how convincing that disguise is.
A Fresh New Year Means Fresh New Restrictions on Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
From California to Washington, D.C., new restrictions on gas-powered landscaping equipment are blanketing the nation.
Price Controls Are the Worst Possible Solution to Inflation
Addressing a distortion of the market with another distortion of the market will only make the problem worse.
California Distillers Get a New Year's Eve Reprieve From Ban on Shipping Booze Direct to Customers
Distillers have been granted emergency regulatory relief—for now.
If Chuck Schumer Supports Marijuana Legalization, Why Did He Nix a Bill That Would Have Helped Pot Businesses Use Banks?
Stranger still, the leading drug policy reform organization supported Schumer's obstruction.
Biden's Plan To Fight Omicron With Mass Testing Is Laughable Given the FDA's Approval Failures
Plus: Criminals have stolen $100 billion in pandemic relief funds, and colleges are planning to go virtual once again.
Here Is Why the 6th Circuit Reinstated OSHA's Vaccine Mandate—and Why One Judge Disagreed
The argument hinges largely on what makes an emergency standard "necessary."
Mail-Order Abortion Pills, Now Officially Authorized by the FDA, Pose an Insoluble Problem for Legislators Who Want To Ban the Procedure
Federal regulators have permanently lifted a requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person.
Low-Income Condo Residents Say D.C.'s Demand That They Pay for Restoring Historic Balconies Will Force Them Out of Their Homes
The $1.5 million that it would cost to fully replace balconies at the historic Kenesaw apartment building could end up tripling the condo fees of some low-income residents.
The Biden Administration Crushes America's Brief Experiment in Showerhead Freedom
The Department of Energy's new energy efficiency rule drags us back to the dark days of 2013, when showers were allowed to emit no more than 2.5 gallons of water a minute.
Biden's Regulatory Wish List Will Make Infrastructure Projects More Expensive
The 90-year-old Davis-Bacon Act artificially makes federal projects more expensive, and Biden seems to want to strengthen it.
Will Environmental Regulations Stop SpaceX?
The lawsuit could be a bellwether of how federal agencies must handle a burgeoning private space industry.
Don't Crash Nashville's Boozy Party Bus Culture
No, we don't need more anti-alcohol laws—no matter how rowdy the bachelorette parties get.
Entrepreneurship Is on the Rise, Despite COVID-19
Necessity became opportunity for many who started businesses.
Ohio Prosecuted a Taxidermist for Asking an Inspector to Come Back Later
Regulators insist Fourth Amendment protections don’t apply to administrative searches.
How COVID-19 Changed Alcohol Forever
At least 20 states will permanently allow to-go cocktails, and more may be coming.
Can SCOTUS Draw a New Line on Abortion?
The "viability" rule is arbitrary. So are the alternatives.
The Biden Administration Is Asking an Appeals Court to Lift the Order Blocking OSHA's Vaccine Mandate
The government argues that the 5th Circuit erred in concluding that the rule "grossly exceeds OSHA's statutory authority."
This Social Worker Wants To Help Special Needs Kids. Louisiana Says She Has To Prove She's Needed.
The state "wants to limit how many agencies they have to regulate," says Ursula Newell-Davis.
This Republican's Marijuana Legalization Bill Aims To Build Bipartisan Support for Repealing Federal Prohibition
Rep. Nancy Mace is touting "a framework which allows states to make their own decisions on cannabis."
Extending Its Stay, the 5th Circuit Says OSHA's Vaccine Mandate Is 'Fatally Flawed'
A unanimous three-judge panel concludes that the decree "grossly exceeds OSHA's statutory authority."
Dueling Dictionary Definitions Figure Prominently in the Legal Dispute Over OSHA's Vaccine Mandate
Is the COVID-19 virus an "agent"?
Here Are the Arguments That Persuaded the 5th Circuit To Block OSHA's Vaccine Mandate for Private Employers
The appeals court said the rule, which was published on Friday, raises "grave statutory and constitutional issues."
The Details of OSHA's Vaccination Rule for Private Employees Suggest Several Ways It Could Be Vulnerable to Legal Challenges
Federal courts will have to decide whether the rule is "necessary" to protect workers from a "grave danger."
Biden Wants To Wrap Preschools in Red Tape
“Free” preschool will cost the government a lot of money.
Last Month's Drop in Texas Abortions Was Far Smaller Than Supporters of the State's Ban Claimed
The actual number of abortions that S.B. 8 prevented by the end of September may be closer to 500 than 3,000.
If You Think Facebook Is Full of Dubious Outrage-Bait, Wait Til You See the Company's Critics
A business model where outrage is exploited for clicks describes both social media and the news media.
The U.S. May Stand Alone as a Haven for Free Speech
The First Amendment shields Americans from censorship, but authoritarian legislation in Britain and Canada warns of what could be in store if that protection fails.
Taxes and Red Tape Hobble California's 'Legal' Marijuana
Legalizing a market isn’t enough; you have to set the participants free.
Indiana Woman Must Shut Down Business After County Officials Determine Her Farm Isn't Zoned for Commercial Goat Yoga or Goat Snuggling
Jordan Stevens' application to legalize her Happy Goat Lucky Yoga business was denied by Hamilton County's Board of Zoning Appeals last month.
There Would Be a Lot More Good News if Government Would Get Out of the Way
"The quality of life we have even during COVID is so much higher than anything humanity experienced, and it's only going to get better."
Federal Regulators Greenlight Trading of Bitcoin-Linked Securities, Delighting Investors and Infuriating Cryptocurrency Critics
Plus: Cuba violates the rights of peaceful protesters, New Zealand leads the world in zoning reform, and more...
Abbott's Vaccine Order Is Just as Oppressive as Biden's
Neither politician is willing to tolerate deviation from the one business policy he thinks is best.
Immigration Activists Sever Conversations With White House Over Return of Trump-Era Border Policy
Plus: Maine cracks down on vulgar license plates, Nashville cracks down on mobile hot tubs, and more...
Biden Reverses Trump's Showerhead Deregulation
"You have showers where I can't wash my hair properly. It's a disaster!" said Trump in 2015.
Joe Biden's Proposed Ban on Fast, Effective Dishwashers Is a Gift to Big Business
Donald Trump legalized energy-hungry short-cycle dishwashers. The current administration is undoing that progress.
Facebook's Blacklists Are Another Way To Constrain Competition
Upstart competitors can’t hope to match the resources required to compile a list of banned individuals and organizations.
The FDA Wants To Take Your Salt Away
Most Americans are not consuming excessive amounts of sodium.
FDA Approves an E-Cigarette for the First Time but Still Seems Bent on Banning the Flavors Former Smokers Overwhelmingly Prefer
If teenagers like an e-liquid flavor, the agency seems to think, adults should not be allowed to buy it.
Without Roe v. Wade, Abortion Will Remain Legal in Most States
The experience with the Texas Heartbeat Act offers a preview of what that means.
Joe Biden Wants To Spend Trillions on Infrastructure. His Environmental Reforms Ensure He'll Have To.
The White House is undoing changes to the National Environmental Policy Act that were supposed to speed up the delivery of infrastructure projects.
Even If Requiring People Who Have Recovered From COVID-19 To Be Vaccinated Is Legal, That Doesn't Mean It Makes Sense
The failure of legal challenges obscures an ongoing scientific debate.
It Took More Than 15 Years for a South Carolina Hospital To Get Permission To Be Built
In much the same way that zoning laws are wielded by NIMBYs to block new development, Certificate-of-Need laws can be used to impose costly delays on building new medical facilities.
Notice and Comment Symposium on Reviving Rationality by Livermore & Revesz
An extended symposium engaging with an important new book on the use and misuse of cost-benefit analysis in regulatory review.
