The Supreme Court’s last best chance to stop the surveillance state
When you text your doctor, share your location with a rideshare app, or use your credit card at checkout, you aren't broadcasting your private life to the world. You're sharing specific information, for a specific purpose, with a specific party you've chosen to trust—usually under terms of service that promise to keep it confidential. You know th ...
A man’s home is his castle, inside and out
The Arizona State Legislature is currently considering SB 1431, a bill seeking to protect the rights and pocketbooks of homeowners by shielding them from purely aesthetic mandates that drive up the cost of housing and have no bearing on health or safety. The bill prohibits local governments in Arizona from imposing aesthetic design mandates on sing ...
New York artists ask Supreme Court to hear lawsuit challenging $100-per-square-foot exactions
SoHo and Noho, New York City's once-vibrant artist quarters, are now the site of a legal challenge making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Pacific Legal Foundation filed a petition for a writ of certiorari yesterday asking the Court to hear a lawsuit challenging a controversial rezoning law that forces New York artists to pay more than $100 pe ...
Washington Examiner : Permitting reform—The key to unlocking housing and energy affordability
For years, homeowners and builders have been trapped in a cycle of waiting — waiting for permits, waiting for inspections, and waiting for approvals that can take months or even years to arrive. Now, policymakers across the country are taking a fresh look at outdated permitting processes, and they're beginning to cut the red tape that has made bu ...
To Keep Housing Costs Low, Gov. Hobbs Can Strike a Blow Against High Building Fees
This week, the Arizona legislature passed a first-of-its-kind reform that says legislative bodies—including local authorities—cannot use the permit process to coerce property owners into paying exorbitant development fees. The bill reflects the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous 2024 decision in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado and will protect the pe ...
Kansas city wastes over $800,000 ordering local restaurant owner to abandon mural
A Kansas entrepreneur's First Amendment lawsuit may present one of the most unconventional stories the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit hears this year. Restaurant owner Steve Howard sued the City of Salina for violating his free speech rights after city officials ordered him to abandon a sci-fi-inspired mural on the side of his small bu ...
Montana man fights zoning law to house his veteran brothers
Clancy Kenck fought the State of Montana for nearly three years before he was allowed to build a duplex for his two brothers. Still, he'll tell you he got the easy end of the deal. Clancy was born and raised in Missoula, Montana, along with three brothers and three sisters. His parents instilled a sense of self-reliance and patriotism in their c ...
New report : California Coastal Commission has collected nearly $50 million from property owners since 2016
The California Coastal Commission has long been described as the most powerful land use authority in the United States. A new PLF report puts some hard numbers behind that reputation. The Power of Punishment: How the California Coastal Commission's Increased Enforcement Power Affects Property Rights examines the Commission's enforcement activity ...
Washington activist continues legal challenge to unpayable fines
Tim Eyman is trapped by an unpayable debt that's growing daily. Between fines, attorney fees, and ever-increasing interest, the State of Washington expects him to find and turn over $8 million. Since he can't, the State is adding $700,000 to that total every year. Eyman has been fighting this unconstitutionally excessive fine in the Washington c ...