Articles

PLF's Timothy Sandefur joins Diana Hsieh on "Philosophy in Action" on Wednesday

September 30, 2013 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

I’ll be on Diana Hsieh‘s online radio show and podcast “Philosophy in Action” on Wednesday at 6pm Pacific Time to discuss the right to earn a living, occupational licensing, and other matters of constitutional and philosophical import. You can listen live here, or download the podcast here. … ...

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Public hearings on gray wolf delisting this week

September 30, 2013 | By JONATHAN WOOD

This week, Fish and Wildlife Service is holding public hearings on its proposal to delist the gray wolf. The first hearing will be today in D.C. On Wednesday, there will be a hearing in Sacramento. And Albuquerque will play host on Friday.  As readers know, PLF filed a lawsuit in 2011 demanding that the Service … ...

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President's weekly report — September 27, 2013

September 27, 2013 | By ROB RIVETT

Education Reform — Charter Schools The Georgia Supreme Court issued an excellent decision in Atlanta Independent School System v. Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, Inc.  As explained in more detail in our blog post, public school districts in Georgia are required to allocate money to charter schools according to a statutory formula.  Bu ...

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Greenhouse gas rules up in the air

September 27, 2013 | By TONY FRANCOIS

Today is a big day for all things greenhouse gas, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releasing its Fifth Assessment Report.  Earlier this week, the similarly named (but differently purposed) Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change released its latest report, Climate Change Reconsidered II: Physical Science.  These tw ...

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Hard questions about polar bear listing

September 27, 2013 | By REED HOPPER

In anticipation of the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether it will hear our challenge to listing the polar bear as a threatened species, Capital Press published my recent op-ed on the case.  Here it is in full: Capital Press September 26, 2013 Court should hold feds accountable for questionable ESA listing Asking tough … ...

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Prairie skyline towers over Washington D.C.

September 26, 2013 | By JONATHAN WILLIAMS

A North Dakota businessman recently announced plans to develop a 352-foot tower in Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo is a small city with a population of 105,000. The metropolitan population of Fargo is only 3% that of Washington, D.C. However, even without this latest development, Fargo has more 200 ft. commercial buildings than our nation’s capita ...

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The Endangered Species Act at 40

September 26, 2013 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

This year, the ESA turned 40, and many conferences around the nation are convening to determine whether the ESA needs an update or perhaps more radical change.  In that vein, the California Environmental Law & Policy Center at University of California Davis School of Law is hosting next Friday “The Endangered Species Act at 40:  … ...

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PLF to participate in Oct. 2 builders' conference in L.A.

September 25, 2013 | By PAUL BEARD

I’ll be speaking at the Building Industry Legal Defense Foundation’s Annual Law and Policy Conference in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 2.  I’ll be on a panel on Takings Law, discussing PLF’s recent victory in Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District. If you’re an attorney, planner or other govern ...

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Adverse mining claim decision from the Ninth Circuit

September 24, 2013 | By JAMES BURLING

We received this adverse opinion today from the Ninth Circuit in McMaster v. United States.  Ken and Debbie McMaster had worked a small gold mining claim in the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area for many summers, supplying nugget gold for their Gold Rush Jewelry shop in Graeagle, California (right).  After their claim was swallowed up by the Wildern ...