Property Rights

If you want to build housing on your property, can the government demand that you first give your land to someone else to live on? Or that you pay for someone else's house (on someone else's property) before you get a permit to build housing for yourself? You would think the answer would be a resounding, "Of course not!" But consider the case of Je ...

"Eminent domain abuse." Thanks to Susette Kelo and her brave stand against the government's taking of her now-iconic pink house, "eminent domain abuse" is a commonly understood and widely disdained government practice. In Susette Kelo's case, Kelo v. City of New London, the City used its power of eminent domain to take her home (and over a hundred ...

President-elect Donald Trump made the housing crisis a focal point of his presidential campaign. He correctly diagnosed a national problem: housing costs must come down to improve the country's economy and its standard of living. But having made the right diagnosis, federal leaders, like President-elect Trump and his administration, also expect sta ...

Ethan Blevins, legal fellow at Pacific Legal Foundation, recently joined The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast for a lively discussion on the issue of federal land in the United States. Charles and Ethan explored the history of federal land management, the federal government's shift away from homesteading toward a policy of land retention, the issue o ...

You can't make housing cheaper by making it more expensive. But that's what Healdsburg's so-called "Inclusionary Housing Program" tries paradoxically to do. Jessica Pilling and her lawyers at Pacific Legal Foundation (where I work) understand that. When the City charged Jessica approximately $20,000 in inclusionary housing fees as a condition of he ...

When Mike Colosi moved to Florida, he had a simple but big dream: to build a beautiful home nestled within the serene, natural beauty of his newly acquired 5.07-acre property. He envisioned using only about an acre for his residence, leaving the rest untouched to preserve its natural tranquility. But instead of enjoying a home in his new surroundin ...

The holiday season is a time for nostalgia, joy, and reflection, and few things capture the spirit of the season like the classic children's holiday specials that have graced television screens for decades. These beloved tales are more than just seasonal entertainment—believe it or not, they offer timeless lessons about the foundations of a free ...

Clancy Kenck bought land in Missoula, Montana, with the intention of building a duplex where he and his two older brothers could live. Both his brothers are suffering from declining health issues, and Clancy wanted to provide them with care that would help make their lives a little easier. The road to executing his plan turned out not to be so s ...

Legend says the outlaw Butch Cassidy hid vast stashes of loot across the West. But those still hunting for Cassidy's treasure could join the Wild Bunch in outlaw status. Hunting for buried treasure on federal lands, it turns out, is a federal crime, and almost all the West where Cassidy roamed is federal land. But that's not all. If you were to ...