Articles

Insiders, outsiders, and the American dream

May 23, 2012 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

My article, “Insiders, Outsiders, And The American Dream,” has been published in the latest issue of the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, & Public Policy. You can read it online here. The article deals with Certificate of Necessity laws—rules that bar a business from starting operations unless it can prove that there’s a & ...

Articles

Fighting for economic liberty in Kentucky

August 21, 2012 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

Meet R.J. Bruner and his crew. Bruner is one of the many hardworking entrepreneurs who keep our economy thriving—and whose hard work and ingenuity improve the standard of living for all of us. Of course, when he founded Wildcat Moving two years ago, he didn’t do it as an act of charity. He did it … ...

Articles

Kentucky’s Attorney General will not defend the state’s anti-competitive licensing law

October 15, 2012 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

This morning, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway announced that he will not try to defend the constitutionality of that state’s licensing law for moving companies, which Pacific Legal Foundation is challenging in a lawsuit filed in August. In that case, we represent entrepreneur Raleigh Bruner, who’s suing to defend his right to earn ...

Articles

Court refuses to throw out PLF’s challenge to Kentucky’s mover cartel

February 25, 2013 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

This morning, federal Judge Danny Reeves rejected the state of Kentucky’s effort to dismiss our lawsuit challenging that state’s anti-competitive licensing law for moving companies. The Bluegrass state, like many others, uses a “certificate of public convenience and necessity” law to limit how many people may operate moving ...

Articles

Fake reform delivers nothing for New Mexico entrepreneurs

March 04, 2013 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

The New Mexico legislature is currently debating a bill, HB 194, which would reform that state’s cumbersome Public Utility Commission. Sadly, some reform advocates mistakenly think it would “reduce or remove the barriers preventing new taxi, shuttle, bus, limo, and moving companies from opening.” In fact, it would do no such thi ...

Articles

Think twice about opening a moving company in Kentucky

March 07, 2013 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

Bloomberg Businessweek‘s Patrick Clark has an excellent story about Kentucky’s anti-competitive licensing rules for moving companies. Here’s an excerpt: In August, Marty Vaughn tried to open a College Hunks Moving franchise in Lexington, KY. She learned state law first required her to obtain something called a Certificate of Publi ...

Articles

President’s weekly report — March 8, 2012

March 08, 2013 | By ROB RIVETT

Environment and Property Rights — Wetlands In response to our lawsuit, the Army Corps of Engineers withdrew its wetlands jurisdictional determination in Smith v. United States Army Corps of Engineers.  The Smiths were thanked by the Corps for all the work they did clearing trash and dead trees out of a dry arroyo in New … ...

Articles

Why do Bloomington bureaucrats get to decide when competition is “desirable”?

April 09, 2013 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

Bloomington, Illinois, is a city of about 78,000 people, and home to Illinois State University. Sometimes, Illinois State students go out to parties where they drink too much to drive safely, and they need rides home. Many of these students, particularly female students, feel uncomfortable using buses or taxis; they’d prefer a cleaner, more c ...

Articles

Kentucky federal judge bars state from enforcing its anti-competition law

June 13, 2013 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

This afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge Danny Reeves issued an order blocking the state from enforcing its Competitor’s Veto law for moving companies, at least until he has the opportunity to decide whether that law is constitutional. That decision came after PLF lawyers filed an emergency motion to block the state from prosecuting our clie ...