Articles

Victory! Busking now legal in Houston 

December 21, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

In 2018, accordionist Tony Barilla wrote in the Houston Press about his quest to play music on the city’s street corners—a quest that led him into a frustrating maze of bureaucracy. Busking was outright banned in most of Houston. Musicians could play in public spaces only if they didn’t accept tips.   Tony was happy … ...

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WSJ editorial board slams New Jersey restrictions on microbreweries

November 30, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

The Wall Street Journal editorial board has thrown its support behind Pacific Legal Foundation client Chuck Garrity, owner of Death of the Fox Brewing Company, who is suing the New Jersey Division of Alcohol Beverage Control over its restrictions on breweries.  In a biting editorial, the Journal recounts some of the arbitrary and burdensome rules ...

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The 7 best legal podcasts for non-lawyers

November 16, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

If you like courtroom dramas, legal controversies, and the strange-but-true stories behind big Supreme Court cases, this list of best legal podcasts is for you.   Note: We’re not including true crime in our definition of legal podcasts—although some of the below podcasts do dive into the occasional murder case. True crime podcasts are a ...

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The Hill : The Supreme Court failed Asian Americans a century ago. What will it do now?

November 14, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

One hundred years ago, on Nov. 13, 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an Asian man could not become an American citizen because of his race. Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court considered whether universities can exclude Asian students because of their race.  … ...

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Adventure guide’s case against Labor Department goes to Tenth Circuit

September 29, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

The federal minimum wage set by Congress is $7.25. But the Department of Labor says Duke Bradford, an outdoor adventure guide in Colorado, must pay his guides $15/hour plus overtime—including on overnight trips—because the department considers Duke a government contractor.   Why? In Colorado, the federal government owns over a third of the lan ...

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Oral arguments in Coalition for TJ are today. Here are 5 things you should know.

September 15, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

For Northern Virginia families hoping to send their kids to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology—the top-ranked public high school in the country—today (September 16) is a big day.  That’s when the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board to determine w ...

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Government blocks much-needed birth center in Georgia

September 01, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

A great test of any society is whether it takes good care of pregnant women and babies.   The State of Georgia is currently failing that test.  Georgia has the worst maternal mortality rate in the country—that is to say, more women die in childbirth in Georgia than in any other state.   The financial website … ...

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A Wisconsin ballet ends with a court discussion of nondelegation

July 26, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

There is a legal reckoning on the horizon.   At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local governments delegated an extraordinary amount of power to unelected public health officials.   Now, two and a half years into the pandemic, the public is still grappling with the consequences of this unprecedented transfer of power from elected ...

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The nondelegation doctrine, as illustrated by The X-Files

June 02, 2022 | By NICOLE W.C. YEATMAN

Depending on who you ask, the nondelegation doctrine is either “a fable that originalists tell themselves” (The Atlantic) or “the only realistic way to arrest the gradual slide of our government into the hands of the administrative state” (National Review).   It is crucially important, yet rarely discussed. “If you a ...