From Austin to Pung : Defining the Excessive Fines Clause in the modern era
Drawing on centuries of warnings, the Framers included the Excessive Fines Clause in the Bill of Rights to protect individuals from unrestrained governments wielding monetary penalties that are wildly disproportionate to the offense committed. The ink on the Bill of Rights has been dry for over 200 years and yet, unlike free speech, due process, ...
American Heroes : Her family built a safe product. The government destroyed their business.
What happens when the federal government decides it doesn't like your product—even when it's safe, compliant, and trusted by families for years? On this episode of American Heroes, host Kathy Hoekstra sits down with Jamie Leach, a registered nurse and cofounder of Leachco, Inc. The Oklahoma-based business, run by Jamie's family, spent nearly f ...
What Joe Rogan’s hemp conversation reveals about Washington picking winners
On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Sen. Rand Paul surprised listeners (and the host) by explaining why some marijuana businesses have sided with the alcohol and pharmaceutical industries in lobbying Congress to crack down on hemp products. The reason isn't public safety. It's competition. Hemp and marijuana are variants of the s ...
New year, new SCOTUS opinions
The Supreme Court has issued its first handful (or scoop, if you will) of opinions. And it heard oral arguments in one of the most closely watched cases of the term. But first, the bad news. On Monday, the Court rejected six PLF petitions for review: Hierholzer (challenging racial preferences in federal contracting), Lincinio (asking the Court t ...
Alaska breweries win First Amendment challenge
When Jessie Janes opened Alaska's first hard kombucha brewery, he imagined more than just a tasting room. He envisioned a community space where Alaskans and tourists alike could gather for live entertainment, games, conversation, and locally made drinks. Jessie opened Zip Kombucha in the heart of Anchorage after 12 years in the U.S. Army, a proj ...
‘Mountain man’ continues legal battle challenging government bait-and-switch
Veteran and cowboy poet Wil Wilkins has lived in the Montana mountains his entire life. The "mountain man" generally spends his days working as a stonemason and blacksmith to create detailed, artisan pieces sought out by interior designers. He also devotes his energy to combatting government abuse—including the bait-and-switch that opened his ...
Federal court hears case representing historic mining company stripped of Seventh Amendment rights
In 2024, a historic mining company found itself before an agency tribunal. The company represented itself, filing petitions with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission to deny and vacate the unconstitutional judgment. Instead of an independent courtroom with an independent judge and a neutral jury, the Secretary of Labor forced Americ ...
National Review : Seize, Sell, Profit
In the despotic tradition of officeholders whose self-regard exceeds the bounds of their office, meet Patricia DePriest, tax assessor for Union Township in Isabella County, Mich. DePriest believed a family violated her personal vision of the law and set the wheels in motion to deprive them of their home and savings. And now, her overreach has becom ...
The government regulated rideshare drivers and entrepreneurs, violating principles of federalism
In recent months, state and national governments have acted beyond their constitutional authority by imposing restrictive regulations on rideshare drivers and entrepreneurs. Despite clear constitutional boundaries, governments have unconstitutionally denied out-of-state drivers the ability to drive for rideshare services and required business owner ...