Justice Thomas says the quiet part out loud in Pung
Yesterday, the Supreme Court delivered its decision in Pung v. Isabella County, ruling against the Pung family. In February, the Pungs asked the Court to affirm that when the government takes and sells a home to satisfy a tax debt, just compensation should be measured by the home's fair market value—not whatever price the government happens to ...
House Oversight Committee to investigate home equity theft in DC
The House Oversight Committee recently announced an investigation into the District of Columbia's use of home equity theft, highlighting a major threat to property rights. Home equity theft is a shady government practice that allows governments to seize a person's property over a tax debt, sell it, and pocket all the proceeds—including the hom ...
From Magna Carta to American independence : The legacy behind America’s 250th birthday
This month marks the 811th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, an event regarded by many as the foundation of the English Constitution and an inspiration for American independence. Magna Carta's lore has taken on a legendary quality over time, but the tale of the rebel barons compelling the tyrant King John to affix his seal to a document ...
Remembering Gordon S. Wood and the idea of America
This week, America lost one of the foremost historians of the American Founding with the passing of Brown University professor Gordon S. Wood. For half a century, Wood helped shape how scholars and ordinary people understood the Revolution, the Founding Fathers, and the ideas that united 13 British colonies into one nation. Through his work, ...
Why a fund for young innovators is challenging California’s intrusive reporting mandate
There are thousands of venture capital firms competing to find promising tech startups, but remarkably few cater specifically to young college dropouts. In 2015, Michael Gibson and Danielle Strachman cofounded 1517 Fund with a specific mission in mind: to invest in young, renegade dropouts and "sci-fi scientists" developing tomorrow's breakthrough ...
One mother’s fight to restore merit-based admissions in NYC’s Specialized High Schools
Every November, students vying for a spot at one of New York City's eight Specialized High Schools take the admissions exam that will determine their academic trajectory. The notoriously rigorous Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) spans three hours and assesses a student's abilities in English language arts and mathematics. Admissi ...
New Orleans social worker continues fight for her right to earn a living
In the fall of 2023, New Orleans entrepreneur Ursula Newell Davis received disheartening news: The Supreme Court had declined to hear her case, signaling the disappointing end to her legal battle against Louisiana. For years, Ursula had been fighting for her right to open her business—Sivad Home and Community Services—to offer in-home respit ...
Napa County collected taxes on her wine for decades. Now it wants $4 million because she poured it.
Napa Valley, California, is home to some of the most sought-after wine in the world. Here, the elements conspire as warm afternoon sunshine and rolling evening fog slowly ripen the grapes, giving them time to develop that deep signature complexity. Each bottle of Napa wine tells the story of the vineyard and the people who gave it life. These ...
The woman who sued to enforce the Declaration’s promise of equality
The Declaration of Independence's bold proclamation that "all men are created equal" was the foundation on which the pillars of American ethos were built. Its principle endured, later shaping the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equality before the law. Self-evident as this truth may be, how these words would be lifted from the parchment and ...