The Docket: July 10, 2026
The Docket is PLF’s weekly newsletter covering the cases, clients, and policy battles shaping the future of liberty in America. You can catch up on last week’s Docket here and subscribe below to receive future editions in your inbox.
Announcing a star-studded virtual Supreme Court Review; a new episode of In Dissent explores why the Founders cared so much about the right to a jury trial; and a group of California property owners challenges Santa Rosa’s abuse of emergency powers.
A California city piled emergency rent caps on top of existing local rent controls—now property owners are fighting back
When a 2017 California wildfire triggered a state of emergency, the City of Santa Rosa stacked an emergency rent cap on local mobilehome parks that were already restricted under the City’s decades-old rent control law—despite state law exempting rent-controlled properties. When the emergency ended in 2021, the City barred parks from making up the difference, a restriction it didn’t apply to apartment complexes.
The result? New PLF research finds mobilehome rents have fallen 22% relative to other rentals citywide, putting park owners on a slow path to bankruptcy. Now, with PLF’s help, a group of property owners is urging the California Supreme Court to review their case and clarify the conflict between state and local rent control laws.
Supreme Court rules for presidential removal power in Trump v. Slaughter
For nearly a century, federal law barred the president from firing members of the Federal Trade Commission unless they could be shown to have committed “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
On June 29, the Supreme Court struck down that restriction through its decision in Trump v. Slaughter—giving the president authority to remove the leaders of roughly two dozen “independent” agencies at will.
In Dissent: The heart and lungs of liberty
In this episode of In Dissent, PLF’s Steve Simpson and Cato Institute’s Tommy Berry join Anastasia Boden to discuss why the Founders cared so much about the right to a jury trial and the myriad ways the government tries to sidestep its obligation.
The battle isn’t over: What Pung means for the fight against home equity theft
Near the end of this year’s term, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Pung v. Isabella County, rejecting the argument that the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause requires government to pay fair market value to homeowners when it seizes and sells their homes to collect a tax debt. That was the question presented in the case, and the Court disagreed.
But placed in its full context, a different picture of the case emerges. The Pung family’s case was given a second life, and the Court’s decision is not a defeat for the broader movement to end home equity theft in America. In many ways, it is exactly where we needed to land.
Appeals court revives Outer Banks entrepreneur’s fight to earn a living
PLF client Ami Hill is nothing if not relentless. After her art gallery was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, she pivoted—refurbishing an old school bus and creating a mobile art gallery featuring the works of Outer Banks artists. Restaurants and breweries in the area invited her onto their properties, and just like that, she was back on track.
Or so it seemed, until her hometown, Kill Devil Hills, denied her permit request to set up her mobile gallery for an event being held on a local brewery’s private property.
In June, an appeals court revived her fight, reversing a lower court’s earlier dismissal of her case.
Virtual Event: Live Supreme Court Review
Join us next Wednesday, July 15, at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT for a live virtual review of the latest Supreme Court term—including a deep dive into PLF’s recent Supreme Court case, Pung v. Isabella County.
Our panelists include PLF director of constitutional scholarship Anastasia Boden and senior attorney Christina Martin, alongside USA Today’s Maureen Groppe and Erin Murphy of Clement & Murphy.
Unsure if you’ll be able to attend live? Don’t fret. All registrants will receive a recording of the event. RSVP today to secure your (virtual) seat.
Quick Hits
- MS Now: The Supreme Court stood up for privacy—but only to a point
- The Orange County Register: Can California force shopping malls to platform a “men’s rights activist”?
- Western Livestock Journal: Idaho just restored the property line
- The National Law Review: A fair process to avoid home equity theft
- Kansas City Star: My victory for nurses’ rights will help change the system for every Kansan
- Reason: DOJ says Equal Opportunity officials pressured employers into race-based discrimination
- California Globe: Napa County is unjustly trying to bankrupt a family winery
