James Madison's Decentralized Republic
The Constitution was intended to preserve state sovereignty, not create an all-powerful central government.
States
National Divorce? A Soho Forum Debate
Is breaking up the U.S. a good idea? Law professor F.H. Buckley and Libertarian Party activist Jonathan Casey debate.
High Inflation Means Rising Tax Bills
The current run of price and wage increases could tip taxpayers into higher brackets, where they will owe larger slices of their income to the government.
States Are Flush With Cash
There's a lesson here for the federal government the next time a national economic crisis strikes: The states don't need bailouts.
Occupational Licensing Hurts the Vulnerable Without Helping the Public
Hispanics get slammed the hardest by licensing requirements that regulators can’t justify.
States Investigate TikTok Over Alleged Harms to Kids and Young Adults
Plus: Texas can't investigate family of transgender teen, SCOTUS considers case on doctor drug trafficking, and more...
COVID Might Help To Kill These Expensive, Anticompetitive Hospital Regulations in South Carolina
The state's certificate of need laws are currently blocking an estimated $1 billion in potential health care investment.
Which States Are the Freest?
Many Americans are fleeing restrictive jurisdictions and moving to places that respect their liberty.
All Politicians Are Unpopular—So Strip Away Their Power
Shrink the federal waistline for healthier communities.
Judge Don Willett on Supreme Stalemates
An interesting exploration of what happens when high courts are evenly divided.
Texas Wins the Census
Plus: Oregon ditches high school proficiency requirements, new vaccine rules in San Francisco and New Orleans, and more...
Massive Unemployment Spending Attracts Scammers and Criminals
Plus: North Carolina passes cause-based abortion ban as Missouri's gets struck down, conservatives would hate treating social media as common carriers, and more...
If You Want To Fix the Country, Devolve Power
Revived federalism is a start, but it doesn’t go far enough.
The Shaky Case for State Bailouts
Governments should prepare for emergencies by cutting spending during flush times.
Coronavirus Curfews Are Trending Again, Despite Total Lack of Evidence They Help
Plus: Against the conservative case for antitrust action, New York City shuts down schools again, and more...
Today's Gubernatorial, Statehouse Races Will Set the Table for Redistricting Fights
Republicans rode an electoral wave in 2010 and used that perch to draw favorable congressional districts in many states. Will Democrats have the same opportunity after this year?
The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Crushing State Budgets. A Federal Bailout Is Still a Bad Idea.
There is no state that will weather the COVID-19 pandemic without making difficult decisions. But the revenue hit will be less severe in places that were being thrifty and vigilant.
Montana's Ban on Flavored Vaping Endangers Public Health
The debate over flavored vapes really is a debate about whether adult smokers will still have access to products that could save their lives.
Touching Your Phone While Driving Is Now Illegal in Idaho, Illinois, and Indiana
Plus: More (bad, weird, and occasionally good) new state laws that start taking effect today.
Interstate Travel Restrictions Are Just Political Posturing
We should feel free to ignore travel restrictions imposed by political clowns using the public as pawns in their feuds.
Nursing Homes Account for 42 Percent of America's COVID-19 Fatalities
In some states, the total is as high as 65 percent. It's a stunning statistic that might force policy makers to reconsider their approach to fighting the coronavirus.
'We Have Flattened That Curve': Some States Move Forward With Reopening Their Economies
But testing remains a key issue in some of those states.
Pushy Politicians Make Stay-at-Home Protests Necessary
Government officials’ disdain for personal liberty and economic pain drive Americans to the streets.
It Took Less Than 24 Hours for Trump To Undermine His New Plan for Reopening State Economies
The inability of the federal government, and the president specifically, to deliver reliable and consistent information to the American public will make economic recovery more difficult.
Will COVID-19 Help Americans Break the Habit of Deferring to Centralized Authority?
We may find that we like making our own decisions.
It Figures That Michigan Is Among the First States To See Protests Against Social Distancing
Plus: Puerto Rico criminalizes fake news about COVID-19, wide geographic disparity in U.S. income growth, and more...
Physicians Should Be Allowed To Practice Across State Lines—and Not Just During a Pandemic
Permitting telemedicine and recognizing medical licenses from other states will reduce future doctor shortages.
Trump Claims He Has 'Total' Authority Over When States End Social Distancing Rules. He's Wrong.
Plus: Americans plan to stay home for months, courts block more abortion bans, Amash "looking closely" at presidential run, and more...
Trump to States With COVID-19 Supply Shortages: Better Luck Next Time
Plus: Robert Kraft flies supplies to Boston from China, Laredo fines people for going without masks, and more...
State Regulations Let Hospitals Literally Veto New Competition. Here's How To Change That.
Certificate of need laws are on the books in 36 states, but they mostly serve as a way for hospitals to limit competition and keep prices high. State lawmakers should be dismantling them.
Why Is the Chief Justice of Ohio's Supreme Court Lobbying Against Sentencing Reforms?
Justice Maureen O'Connor has intervened repeatedly in the legislative process.
With A Republican in the White House, Democrats Rediscover the Virtues of Federalism
Give the Republican Party control of the White House and Congress, and it's only a matter of time before Democrats discover the virtues of devolving authority to state and local governments.
Can Public Pensions Survive the Next Recession?
"Public pension systems may be more vulnerable to an economic downturn than they have ever been."
Jeff Sessions Deals One More Blow to Criminal Justice Reform on His Way Out the Door
The former Attorney General has made it much for difficult for the DOJ to crack down on police departments accused of civil rights violations.
Everything You Know About State Education Rankings Is Wrong
Minds and dollars are a terrible thing to waste.
If Californians Want to Secede, Americans May Be Ready to Let Them Go
There's growing tolerance for splitting off chunks of what our social studies teachers insisted was an "indivisible" union.
Let Freedom Boom
Fireworks are no different from any other good demanded by consenting individuals.
Plan to Break Up California Makes Fall Ballot
Voters will get to consider a plan to create three smaller states, but politicians will make the call.
3 States Pushing Stricter Gun Laws After Parkland (Plus 2 States That Want to Make Gun Ownership Easier)
Age restrictions, body armor bans, and constitutional carry.
The Corrupt Politics of Low-Income Housing
State officials gleefully line their own pockets at taxpayers' expense.
The Myth of the Playground Pusher
In Tennessee and around the country, "drug-free school zones" are little more than excuses for harsher drug sentencing.
As Anniversary of End of Prohibition Nears, State Alcohol Rules Challenged
Even as Repeal Day approaches, many states are still grapple with overly burdensome regulations.
