Articles

With 5G arriving, the Supreme Court needs to rule on what digital privacy means 

January 01, 2020 | By DANIEL WOISLAW

The introduction of 5G data networks promises unbelievable advancements in the tech capabilities of every area of our lives. But 5G will also make it possible for government and law enforcement to use technology to gather data and information about Americans. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled definitively on what qualifies as our constitutionally ...

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The Times of Northwest Indiana : Indiana Supreme Court’s decision on Lake Michigan beach access is unconstitutional. Here’s why.

January 07, 2020 | By CHRIS KIESER

Randy and Kimberley Pavlock built their small family home along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Porter, Indiana, with their own hands. The Pavlocks have owned the property for five generations, and love being “beach people.” Their home and private beach on Lake Michigan are the center of their family life, as they often hold fish … ...

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How rock & roll killed communism

January 10, 2020 | By JACLYN BOUDREAU

Behind the Iron Curtain, Western-loving youths embraced American pop culture and fashion with feverish enthusiasm. Lacking ready access to these goods on the open market, they improvised by painting flashy colors over their state-issued ties, listening to black-market music, such as jazz and later rock, and using heat rollers to style their hair li ...

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The Hill : EPA appeals board is unconstitutional without reform

January 13, 2020 | By MICHAEL POON

The idea that high government officials must be accountable to the people should be uncontroversial. Democratic accountability is a cardinal principle in a constitutional republic. Requiring government actors to be answerable to the people protects the public from arbitrary and tyrannical governance. In practice, this means significant government d ...

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This Supreme Court case could decide if government scholarships can be used for religious schools

January 21, 2020 | By DANIEL ORTNER

On January 22, 2020, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. Espinoza, like PLF’s similar lawsuit Armstrong v. Kadas could potentially end policies like Montana’s that discriminate against religion. ~~~ Few people would argue that parents shouldn’t be able to decide how and where to ...

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The Supreme Court cases constitutional law experts are watching

January 22, 2020 | By PLF

There are many cases before the Supreme Court that will set important precedents in PLF’s battleground areas of freedom of speech, property rights, equality before the law, economic liberty, and separation of powers. The decisions to many of these cases have the potential to strengthen Americans’ individual rights, or deliver more power ...

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Falconers win important first victory in civil liberties lawsuit

January 27, 2020 | By TIMOTHY SNOWBALL

In an important first win for the future of falconer freedom, last Friday U.S. District Judge Lawrence O’Neill ruled that the lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife can proceed in court. Refuting the defendants’ attempts to dismiss the case in its entirety, Judge O’Neill f ...

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The Hill : The Army Corps of Engineers has become a rogue agency

January 28, 2020 | By TONY FRANCOIS

In World War II, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played a proud role in the Allied victory over totalitarian aggression in Europe and the Pacific theater by building bridges, clearing beaches and harbors, and creating the conditions for military units to hit fast and hit hard. The Corps’s resourcefulness, creativity and engineering expertise ...

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Seattle’s new campaign finance laws violate immigrant’s First Amendment rights in attempt to reverse Citizens United

January 29, 2020 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

This January marks the 10th anniversary of one of the most polarizing Supreme Court cases in recent history: Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission. Perhaps intentionally, during the same month, Seattle city officials are pushing through a package of sweeping campaign finance restrictions that defies the ruling in Citizens United. The City ...