Articles

Supreme Court announces big PLF victories in Sackett and Tyler

May 25, 2023 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

I’m going to remember today for a long time.   This morning—at around 7 a.m. where I am in California—the Supreme Court announced unanimous decisions in two Pacific Legal Foundation cases.   Both are stunning victories.   In Sackett v. EPA, which PLF senior attorney Damien Schiff argued on the first day of the term … ...

Articles

50 years of fighting — PLF looks back at our beginning

March 05, 2023 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

It was 50 years ago today, on March 5, 1973, that Pacific Legal Foundation was born. Afterward newspaper Human Events said the date “may go down in history as the day the worm began to turn.”  For those of us who came of age with a vibrant, growing liberty movement, it’s hard to remember how … ...

Articles

Property rights start with the home

September 13, 2021 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

 This article is featured in the fall edition of our quarterly magazine Sword&Scales. To read the full edition visit: swordandscales.pacificlegal.org ~~~ When I first began in the libertarian public-interest legal movement—17 years ago!—my work focused exclusively on property rights. In fact, it was my interest in that issue that led me to ...

Articles

As pandemic subsides, why are governors still exercising “emergency powers”?

July 27, 2021 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

As the COVID-19 pandemic gradually recedes from the highs we saw in 2020, we should carefully reflect on what the past 15 months of a public health emergency have taught us. As a longtime advocate for individual liberty and limited government, here’s the principal lesson I take from our pandemic experience: The separation of governmental  ...

Articles

New York Times : Is Too Much Choice Ruining Us?

March 15, 2021 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

This letter to the editor is in response to Paul Krugman’s article in the New York Times and was originally published on March 16, 2021.  What Paul Krugman leaves unsaid is who actually gets to choose given our “limited ability to process information.” Answer: the well-educated, well-positioned elites like Mr. Krugman himself. Th ...

Articles

The Hill : Our path forward

February 01, 2021 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

After the chaos of 2020 — a year marked by a deadly global pandemic, a painful economic contraction, widespread civil unrest, and a bitterly contested presidential election — it’s safe to say Americans are deeply concerned about the state of our nation. The numbers tell the story. According to the RealClear Politics polling average, more ...

Articles

The Hill : Time to rein in government’s pandemic overreach — starting with CDC’s eviction ban

December 04, 2020 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

When the history of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 is written, it will need a section on the most counterproductive and overreaching government responses. That list should include the nationwide ban on residential rental evictions imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September. That’s right, public health official ...

Articles

PLF’s defense of liberty at the Supreme Court will continue

September 23, 2020 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

Pacific Legal Foundation and many more have written about the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her personal story of perseverance and her role as a trailblazing attorney and jurist inspired many across the nation—and not just in the legal profession. After reflecting on Justice Ginsburg’s tenure on the Court, her passing also go ...

Articles

InsideSources : Rebuilding economy will require rethinking government’s role

June 03, 2020 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

To better understand the recent surge of criticism and resistance against government-mandated lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, take a closer look at the Commerce Department jobs report published last week. In April, the United States lost a staggering 20.5 million jobs, with the unemployment rate skyrocketing to 14.7 percent. Those numbers sugges ...