Property Rights

In its nearly 36 years on air, The Simpsons has shown an uncanny knack for foreshadowing events and issues that would become social and political talking points in the future. Its predictions have ranged from a Trump presidency to virtual-reality tech, and even the absurdity of squatters' rights. In the 1998 episode, "Bart Carny," Homer and Bart ...

Four years ago, Colorado native Taralyn Romero had no idea she'd soon become one of the biggest property rights activists online. In fact, she had no idea property rights would play a role in her life at all. But life is funny that way: Sometimes you don't realize how important an issue is until it shows up in your own backyard—literally. In 2 ...

Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government violates the Constitution when it takes property to pay a tax debt and keeps more than what is owed. That landmark decision affirmed the importance of private property rights. But, apparently, Washington, D.C., officials didn't get the message — or worse yet, are choos ...

The Wyoming Supreme Court sided with Pacific Legal Foundation client Tom Hamann on Friday, sending a clear message that government agencies can't damage private property without consequences. The opinion also reaffirms that agencies cannot evade their constitutional obligation to compensate property owners when their officials—acting within the s ...

On the evening of July 8, as the last item in a grueling seven-hour meeting, the Laguna Beach City Council voted to grant a coastal development permit (CDP) to Pacific Legal Foundation clients Steve and Karen Reinecke—a hard-won victory that allows the Reineckes to finally build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on their property. ADUs are seco ...

The causes of our housing crisis didn't just happen by accident — they were built on purpose. In the first installment of this series, we saw how misguided government policies have made decent housing unaffordable and unattainable for too many Americans. But to fully understand how we got here, we have to go back to the beginning — to the first ...

The City of St. Louis is seizing ownership of the downtown Railway Exchange Building away from its current private owners. The iconic building still evokes nostalgic holiday memories of its once-grand Famous-Barr flagship store's Christmas decorations. The store was reminiscent of A Christmas Story, where Ralphie was mesmerized by the Higbee's depa ...

The government stole from Lynette Johnson, a Guyanese immigrant in New Jersey, when it foreclosed on her property, sold it, and pocketed the difference between her property's selling price ($101,000) and her property tax debt (about $24,000). Finally, last week—after four years of Pacific Legal Foundation fighting for Lynette in court, and more ...

"Justice is the end of government." —James Madison, Federalist 51 When people are wronged by the government, they can come to Pacific Legal Foundation for justice. Meanwhile, PLF is also constantly working outside courtrooms to make laws more just. In the 2025 legislative session, Pacific Legal Foundation partnered with state legislators an ...