Local Officials Vow To Shield the Public from Virginia's Authoritarian New Gun Laws
A new chapter in the never-ending battle between centralized power and local control.
Virginia
The Cigar Lounge That Bureaucracy Almost Killed
In Roanoke, Virginia, one entrepreneur’s dream ran into permit rules, taxes, Prohibition-era alcohol rules, and a city order to spend $10,000 on a “historic” dry-cleaning sign.
Abigail Spanberger Vetoes Mandatory Collective Bargaining, Defying Virginia Unions
The surprising move saves taxpayers from a steep bill—for now.
Virginia's New 'Assault Firearm' Ban Is Plainly Unconstitutional, a Federal Lawsuit Argues
Three Second Amendment groups say the law violates the right to own arms in common use for self-defense and other lawful purposes.
Virginia Supreme Court Voids Virginia Gerrymander
The extreme partisan gerrymander of Virginia's congressional districts will not go into effect after all.
Shots Fired
Plus: White House Correspondents' Association attacker was angry about strikes on Venezuelan boats and Iranian schools, another airline bailout could be coming, and more...
Virginia's Grotesque Gerrymander and the Bipartisan Death of Redistricting Reform
Republicans picked this fight, and Democrats responded by drawing some egregiously gerrymandered districts. In the end, voters lose.
The Lobster Triumphs
Plus: Tit-for-tat gerrymandering, D.C.'s flowing fountains, more war in the Strait of Hormuz, and more...
Virginia's Unconstitutional Effort to Strip Property Tax Exemptions From Pro-Confederate Groups
The groups and their ideology are awful. But Virginia's policy violates the First Amendment. Allowing it to stand could set a dangerous precedent.
Here's Why Virginia Has the Best Highways in the Country
While it struggles with congestion, the state is using innovation to ease traffic and make its highways safer.
This Virginia Bill Expands Affirmative Action in State Contracting
The bill creates a new program to increase agency spending on small businesses, particularly those owned by women, minorities, and disabled veterans.
Virginia's Impending 'Assault Firearm' Ban Is Logically and Constitutionally Dubious
The ban, which targets guns based on criteria that make little sense, seems vulnerable to a challenge under the Supreme Court's Second Amendment precedents.
Here Are 12 Bills Democrats Just Passed To Trample Gun Rights in Virginia
Some gun-rights activists are blaming immigrants, but the real culprits are Virginia Democrats.
The Federal Government Was Told To Make a List of Everything It Funds. 15 Years Later, There Still Isn't One.
A sad commentary on the sprawling size and eye-watering cost of the government.
Virginia Democrats' Push for Mandatory Government Unions Is Not an 'Affordability' Agenda
The legislation would almost certainly lead to a higher cost of living in the form of substantial tax increases.
Democrats Advance 7 Bills Restricting Gun Rights in the Virginia State Senate
They’re not getting the whole “shall not be infringed” part of the U.S. and Virginia constitutions.
A Trump-Appointed Federal Judge Orders Lindsey Halligan To Stop 'Masquerading' As a U.S. Attorney
The lawyer, who delivered the grudge-driven indictments that the president demanded, refused to relinquish her job after another judge ruled that her appointment was illegal.
'Affordability' Politics Is a Major Opening for the Free Market Message in the New Year
The socialists of both parties want things to cost less. Only free markets can make that so.
These Companies Want To Use AI To Make Cheaper and Cleaner Energy—If the Government Lets Them
Don't blame AI for your high electricity bill. Blame the politicians who are trying to take AI away.
Brennan Center Symposium on "2025's Most Significant State Constitutional Cases"
Contributors include Eugene Volokh and myself, among many others.
Virginia's New Blue Trifecta Puts Right-To-Work on the Line
Democrats retook full control in Richmond and are already advancing right-to-work repeal, testing whether incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger will stand by her campaign promise.
Mamdani's Win Suggests a Socialist Future for Democrats and a Rocky One for American Politics
Many in the rising generation are embracing collectivist ideas.
Abigail Spanberger Wins Virginia, Offers Democrats an Alternative to Mamdani's Socialism
"I don't care that much about what happens in the city of New York," Spanberger said on the campaign trail. Other Democrats should listen.
Election Day
What races in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia can tell us about the future of housing policy.
Will Democrats Find Their Way?
Plus: D.C. curfews, SNAP funding, the Georgia abortion ban, and more...
Marc Benioff's Ideas for Fixing San Francisco Keep Getting Worse
The billionaire Salesforce CEO said Trump should use the National Guard to clean up San Francisco's streets.
Fate of Flight Attendant Who Accused Army Vet of Trafficking His Daughter Is Now With Virginia's Supreme Court
The teen began to cry when the plane hit turbulence. He comforted his daughter—and aroused the suspicions of flight attendant Cheryl Thomas.
13-Year-Old Boy Arrested by ICE in Massachusetts and Transferred Over 500 Miles From Family
After waiting for an hour and a half for her son to be released to her, the boy’s mother was told he was instead transferred to an ICE facility in another state.
The Zoning Theory of Everything: Abortion Edition
Every political issue ultimately becomes a zoning issue.
Trump's Case Against Letitia James Looks a Lot Like the Case She Brought Against Him
The case is the second in two weeks, with little legal merit, filed by a neophyte prosecutor against a Trump opponent
2 Controversies Over Political Rhetoric Illustrate the Perils of Blaming Gun Control Critics for Murder
That strategy, which rejects the possibility of sincere disagreement, is poisonous to rational debate.
Civil Rights Group Sues ICE for Withholding Records of the Agency's Detention Expansion Plans in Virginia
Lawyers at America's largest civil liberties group say the agency’s lack of transparency violates federal disclosure requirements.
Virginia Is Using AI To Identify Illegal and Redundant Regulations
While other states are focused on regulating AI, Virginia is using the technology to repeal regulations.
Barack Obama Wants Democrats To Be the YIMBY Party. That's Easier Said Than Done.
The housing crisis is bad for national Democrats. At the state level, it's a political winner.
NIMBY Lawsuit Accidentally Abolishes City's Entire Zoning Code
Plus: The Supreme Court declines to hear major eviction moratorium case, Maine passes zoning reform, and why tourist traps are good, actually.
I'm No Fan of UVA's President. That Doesn't Mean the Government Should Force Him Out.
Jim Ryan is the latest casualty in Trump's unconstitutional war against elite universities.
10 of the Worst State Laws Going Into Effect in July
From minimum wage hikes to bans on cellphones in public schools, here are some of the most ridiculous ways state governments are interfering with Americans’ lives.
'Evacuate Tehran'
Plus: A bipartisan effort to prevent American involvement in the war, ICE workplace raids to begin again, and more...
Virginia Man Faces 12 Months in Jail, $2,500 Fine for Drawing a Crosswalk With Chalk
After Charlottesville city officials ignored residents’ demand for a painted crosswalk in a popular intersection, a pedestrian safety advocate made his own.
This Small Business Is in Limbo As Owner Sues To Stop Trump's Tariffs
Next week could be a pivotal one, as a federal appeals court could decide whether to restore an injunction against Trump's tariffs.
Trump's Pardon for Former Virginia Sheriff Who Exchanged Badges for Cash Makes a Mockery of 'Law and Order'
Scott Jenkins was convicted of engaging in cartoonish levels of corruption. If the rule of law only applies to the little guy, then it isn't worth much.
Texas Could Blow Its Shot at Leading the AI Revolution
A bad bill inspired by European tech panic threatened to drive out Tesla, Meta, and Nvidia. Lawmakers in the House improved it—but now the bill is stalled in the Senate.
The U.S. Needs More Nuclear Power To Fuel the AI Boom
Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania are turning to nuclear power to meet data centers' energy demands.
Rent Control Delayed but Not Dead in California
Plus: Arkansas legalizes ADUs, activists sue to stop missing middle housing, and Trump's housing plans for federal lands
Virginia Courts Won't Split Ownership of Divorced Couple's Embryos
"The unique nature of each human embryo means that an equal division cannot conveniently be made," writes a Virginia judge.
This UVA Law Student Was Threatened With Expulsion for Sitting Outside With Protest Signs
Kirk Wolff set out to peacefully protest Trump's plan to take over Gaza. Then an administrator and a police officer drove by.
Cancerous Politics
Plus: Taking gerontocracy to new heights, a real life Arc Reactor, Happy Festivus, and more...
