Articles

For PLF's Seattle privacy push, a hat tip from the Chicago Trib

July 31, 2015 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

“Overreach” by “trash-sorting police.” That’s how the Chicago Tribune, in a wry but reflective editorial today, describes Seattle’s nosy new practice of rifling through people’s garbage to enforce its food waste ban. From their iconic tower near Lake Michigan, the Trib editors give a shout-out to PLF and ou ...

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President's weekly report — July 31, 2015

July 31, 2015 | By ROB RIVETT

Free speech in Texas We filed this amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to take up Hines v. Alldredge (Texas Board of Veterinary Examiners).  Texas law forbids vets from offering advice without first physically examining the animal. And even though this rule forbids Dr. Hines from communicating information to people, the Fifth Circuit Court of A ...

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Update on PLF challenge to Corps and EPA water rule

July 31, 2015 | By REED HOPPER

In our last update, we noted the Corps and EPA would file a motion to consolidate the 10 suits filed in the district courts challenging the government’s expansive redefinition of “waters of the United States.”  That motion can be read here.  In the motion, the Corps and EPA argue the cases should be consolidated in … ...

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NRO piece on PLF suit challenging Oakland's public art exaction

July 31, 2015 | By TODD GAZIANO

Earlier this week, National Review Online ran my piece on PLF’s lawsuit against the City of Oakland. The lawsuit challenges an illegal ordinance requiring builders of residential and commercial projects in the City to either produce public art displays on the building sites or pay a fee for local artists to create such a display … ...

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Is the Constitution cooler than public art? Not in Oakland

July 29, 2015 | By J. DAVID BREEMER

Watch out! The government-subsidized artists in the San Francisco Bay Area are coming!  As this news article explains, Bay Area artists are not happy about Pacific Legal Foundation’s recent legal challenge to the City of Oakland’s compelled public art ordinance.  The ordinance forces new developers to put public art on their propert ...

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Composting v. Constitution–Townhall runs op-ed on trash snooping

July 29, 2015 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

An op-ed on PLF’s lawsuit against the City of Seattle for unconstitutional trash surveillance appeared today on Townhall.com. The op-ed explains how the City’s composting mandate is enforced through weekly searches of the trash cans of every resident and business in the City. This kind of intrusion into private affairs does not compor ...

Articles

When can government deprive professionals of their right to speak?

July 29, 2015 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

Dr. Ronald Hines is a Texas veterinarian who helps people over the telephone. For years, he’s offered his advice to pet owners for a low, flat rate—a convenient alternative for people who might otherwise not be able to visit a vet’s office. But it turns out that’s illegal: Texas law forbids vets from offering advice … ...

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Los Angeles court redefines discrimination under Proposition 209

July 28, 2015 | By MERIEM L. HUBBARD

In early May, the Los Angeles Court of Appeal issued a decision in Cesar Baez v. California Public Employees’ Retirement System.  The decision is, for the most part, unremarkable.  But there is one controversial section that, contrary to existing case law, severely limits protections adopted by the voters in Proposition 209 in 1 ...

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Hearing in prairie dog appeal will be Sept. 28th

July 28, 2015 | By JONATHAN WOOD

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled oral argument in People for the Ethical Treatment of Property Owners v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for the morning of Sept. 28th in Denver. This is the challenge to the federal government’s constitutional authority to regulate any and all human activity that affects a single Utah … ...