Articles

 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 ...

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  ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

How far would you go to get the best education possible for your child? How hard would you fight? A group of Connecticut parents are prepared to find out — they’re challenging the state’s discriminatory education policies that lock minority children out of the state’s top-flight magnet schools. That’s what’s happenin ...

In Washington, D.C., reports and studies that examine and critique government policy and performance are the currency of the realm. Every think tank, advocacy organization and lobby shop hopes their original research will make a splash, getting the attention of policymakers and resulting in real change. Unfortunately, the supply of policy research ...