Articles

The National Mall and Memorial Parks are “the premier national civic space for public gatherings including First Amendment activities, national celebrations … and national mourning.” In these venues, “the constitutional rights of speech and peaceful assembly find their fullest expression.” Yet the National Park Service, th ...

The Constitution forbids states from passing laws in order to entrench local businesses and exclude free and fair competition.  But Texas has worked for decades to protect its local liquor empires by excluding competitors from entering into the state. More than 20 years ago, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals declared that Texas’s law which ...

Anyone who’s ever been involved in state or local political campaigns and party activities understands the vital importance of grassroots volunteer activity. I experienced this lesson firsthand when I got involved with the Utah Republican Party as a law student. But in Utah, that grassroots model, based on a system of caucuses and conventions ...

If you care about issues like free speech and private property rights, keep an eye on the case of Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, PLF, along with TechFreedom, filed a brief before the Supreme Court in the case, supporting the principle that private property remains private … ...

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 … ...

The residents of Boston come from a diverse array of cultural, ethnic, social, and religious backgrounds. To help celebrate and commemorate the City’s diversity, Boston allows private groups to fly flags on one of the City’s flagpoles next to Boston’s City Hall building. The City has allowed a wide array of groups to use the R ...

This article was originally published by San Antonio Express-News on April 21, 2019. The foundations of freedom of speech are under relentless assault. A case in point: the San Antonio City Council recently voted to exclude Chick-fil-A from the city’s airport because the restaurant chain’s Christian owners have donated to organizations ...

In the arid west, water is the lifeblood of the region. Stability and security are at a particular premium because individuals and businesses need to know how much water they can rely on in order to make productive use of scarce resources. Accordingly, water rights are some of the most valuable property rights that individuals … ...

The world watched in horror as a deranged killer live-streamed himself murdering Muslims attending two mosques in New Zealand. In the wake of the shooting, many have called for tighter restrictions on “extremist” speech by government. The leaders of New Zealand and France have drafted the “Christchurch Call to Action,” a non ...