Civil Beat : The Jones Act Is Sinking The Economies Of Alaska And Hawaii
The Jones Act is a demonstrably bad policy, strangling the economy, driving up costs for ordinary citizens and crippling local businesses in Alaska and Hawaii. Why, then, does it continue to exist? Because protecting a few powerful players from competition moves legislators more than economic freedom. And because lawsuits challenging the Act hav ...
Victory! Court rules against the California Coastal Commission in San Luis Obispo
There are legal victories, and then there are legal victories—court rulings so decisive, so sharply written, that they can only be considered a judicial knockout. Case in point: Al Hadian and Ralph Bookout's New Year's Eve victory against the California Coastal Commission. The (brief) backstory Al and Ralph sued the Commission in 2022 ...
Nebraska man gets his home back after home equity theft
The government took his home in 2018 over a $588 property tax debt. But a few days before Christmas 2024, Kevin Fair, an ailing Nebraska widower, found out he was getting back the title to his home. Now a GoFundMe has raised over $16,000 so Kevin, who recently had a stroke, can build a ramp for his home, make some other repairs, and meet upco ...
Your right to participate and my right to exclude : The proper role of government in social media
In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed Texas House Bill 20, a law that bars social media platforms like Facebook, X, and WhatsApp from banning, censoring, or manually demoting accounts within a social media platform's algorithm so that fewer people see their content based on what those accounts have posted (de-boosting). This bill and others like it ...
In post-Chevron mine case, DC Circuit won’t defer to regulators
What is a mine? That shouldn't be an impossible question. You would think that the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) would have a reasonable definition—after all, they're charged with regulating (you won't believe this) safety and health at mines. But when MSHA inspectors showed up at KC Transport's facility in Emmett, West Virginia, i ...
TikTok, Texas, and President Trump’s Executive Orders
Happy New Year! A lot has happened in the first couple weeks of 2025. In fact, a massive social media company has already managed to argue before the Court, get an adverse decision, shut down for a day, and be promptly revived! Let's get to it. The so-called "conservative" Supreme Court justices split in a ruling against Trump, blowing crit ...
One rancher’s stand : The devastating impact of government overreach on health, property, and hope
There are countless stories of governments tramping on individual rights, causing extreme financial burdens along with mental and emotional stress. For PLF client Tom Hamann, the violation of his property rights and the subsequent economic losses and stress were accompanied by physical injuries that have forever altered his life. On top of fight ...
It’s time for government to get out of the way and let Americans build
According to Bloomberg, new home construction sank to its lowest level in years, comparable only to the downturn during the pandemic-induced shutdowns of 2020. Financial experts quoted in the piece blame restrictive monetary policy — interest rates are high and so are mortgages, making new home construction an expensive endeavor. Monetar ...
National Review : The Forgotten Victims of Government Overreach
In a mythical world, justice proceeds like this: After being wronged by a government injustice, a victim lawyers up and sues the government wrongdoer. After a short time, a court corrects the error and restores the rights and property of the citizen. The government, appropriately chagrined, errs no more. If only. In the real world, lawyers ...