American Heroes : The government took their children at 1 a.m. Without a warrant
Most parents assume that if the government wants to take their children, it first has to convince a judge. Josh Sabey and Sarah Perkins learned otherwise. A mere 36 hours after Sarah took their infant son to the emergency room for a fever, child welfare and police officers arrived at their door in the middle of the night and took their two yo ...
City demands $600,000 for advertising a rental
When the medical team finally gave 82-year-old retiree Sandra May clearance to leave the hospital, she should have been able to focus on her recovery. Instead, she returned home to the news that her local government had slapped her with nearly $600,000 in fines—over a simple website error. Sandra May is a Hawaii homeowner who rents out a p ...
When the police break and enter, who do you call for help?
In June 2022, a mistaken IP address led the South Bend, Indiana, police department to destroy an innocent family's home. Based on an officer's belief that a murder suspect had accessed his social media account at Amy Hadley's address, police acquired a warrant and stormed the building. Officers handcuffed Hadley's 15-year-old son and hauled him ...
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 ...