Articles

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” In Animal Farm, George Orwell described the hypocrisy of governments that proclaim the equality of their citizens but reserves to an elite group the ability to exercise power and enjoy special privileges. Our Constitution’s First Amendment plainly states that Co ...

In 2017, officials in Gratiot County, Michigan, seized Donald Freed’s $97,000 home to pay an overdue tax debt of $1,100. The county sold his property at auction for $42,000 and kept all of the proceeds from the sale. Shockingly Michigan’s property tax law requires this all-too-common practice. It’s a nice racket for the county, wh ...

It seems like every week the mainstream media announces a new crisis facing the country. First, we were told that the election of Donald Trump as president would “literally” destroy the United States (it didn’t). Then we were told that ending net neutrality would “literally” destroy the internet (nope). Finally, reform ...

PLF files opposition to summary judgment in suit to protect happy hour speech Since PLF client Geoff Tracy filed his lawsuit to strike down Virginia’s ban on Happy Hour advertising, the state of Virginia has attempted every trick in the book to defend its silly ban on “Thirsty Thursdays.” Most recently, Virginia’s motion for ...

Originally published by The Hill, January 8, 2019. If you want to understand the importance of grassroots volunteers in a democracy, spend some time working political campaigns and party activities at the state and local levels. I experienced this lesson firsthand when I got involved with the Utah Republican Party as a law student. But … ...

Last year, Iowa property owners earned a cool $9.3 million renting out their properties through the popular home-sharing service Airbnb. That’s $9.3 million that helps the owners to pay mortgages on those properties, as well as other expenses like school tuition, groceries, and emergency savings. In addition, the 100,000 or so bookings raised ...

Making a living ranching or farming in the harsh desert lands of American southwest is demanding enough. But federal bureaucrats have managed to make it even harder by playing word games to stretch the limits of federal law beyond recognition. That’s the case for ranchers in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, where the U.S. Fish and … ...

Washington Supreme Court spurns Seattle’s tax gamble Washington State is one of a handful of states that characterizes individual income as private property, subject to the same protections as all other property. Thus, on seven occasions over the past eighty years, Washington’s high court has declared targeted income taxes unlawful unde ...

“Exclusive representation” is the rule that gives unions a monopoly on talking to employers on behalf of all employees in a workplace. Yet, in the aftermath of a recent Supreme Court decision, this controversial rule’s time may be up. If so, that will be a big win for workers’ free speech rights. This past summer, … ...