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An optimistic small-business owner in New York, Henry Kaiser’s life changed when he asked his girlfriend’s father for permission to marry her. Kaiser’s future father-in-law said he’d permit no wedding until Kaiser had saved enough money and built a house for his bride. He left Kaiser with one piece of advice: Move west. Kais ...

Next year Pacific Legal Foundation will be celebrating our 50th anniversary. It’s a milestone we would not have reached without the tireless work and indefatigable enthusiasm of people like Dick Bradley, who just passed away at the age of 93.   Since Dick won’t be here for next year’s celebrations, I want to take a … ...

It is with some trepidation that the nation approaches the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, which begin today. Will these hearings descend into a Twitter-mobbing reality TV show, or will they focus on the qualifications of Judge Jackson?   Americans have good reason to pay attention. For better or worse, the re ...

By Mark Shirley The restaurant business is hard work. Long hours, narrow profit margins, fierce competition — given the challenges, it’s not surprising that 60 percent of new restaurants fail in their first year. I was prepared for all those challenges and more when I launched my barbeque business, Ole Time Smokehouse, in a food … ...

2021 was filled with some major wins for individual liberty. As we close the year, we want to celebrate our top 10 victories. #10 Challenging a California law that puts gender preference above equality before the law In June, in a unanimous opinion, the Ninth Circuit held that a shareholder of a California company has … ...

In the American Bar Association’s Preview magazine, Pacific Legal Foundation senior legal fellow Elizabeth Slattery authored a piece on the recently concluded Supreme Court term. In the article, she focuses on two major themes: First, the Court issued a multitude of rulings which were both unanimous and “narrow”; second, that the ...

On Sept. 14, California voters head to the polls to decide Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fate in a historic recall election. Perhaps the biggest motivating factor behind the recall effort is Newsom’s aggressive COVID-19 pandemic response, in which he unilaterally issued orders for school, business and church closures; mask mandates; and other dem ...

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of Pacific Legal Foundation’s quarterly magazine Sword&Scales. PLF exists to establish a rule of law under which all Americans may live free in their pursuit of happiness. We fight to preserve and advance the American ideals of individualism and liberty, and our mission has never bee ...

What’s at issue in this case?  The right to exclude trespassers is a fundamental part of property rights. California’s unconstitutional access rule allows a favored third party, in this case unions, to invade a business’s property for three hours a day, 120 days a year.   What’s the law in question in the ...