Articles

Author: Brandon Middleton Last week a federal district court in Fresno rejected Pacific Legal Foundation's constitutional challenge to the federal government's devastating delta smelt water restrictions. Even though the delta smelt is a noncommercial species that is found only in California, the court ruled that the U.S. F ...

Today the U.S. Senate confirmed six nominees to serve on the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation. Among the six is PLF Principal Attorney Sharon Browne, whose nomination had been submitted to the president by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY Ms. Browne issued this statement following her confirmation today:"I am ho ...

Author: Anne-Marie Dao Uncle Sam wants you … to eat your fruits and vegetables daily. During her recent confirmation hearings, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was asked by Senator Tom Coburn whether Congress has power under the Commerce Clause to pass a law requiring Americans to eat fruits and vegetables daily. Ms. Kagan declined to ̷ ...

With the new Republican House, Americans are waiting to see whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as "Obamacare", will be repealed, repaired or defunded, or, what may be more likely, rejected by the courts in either PLF's suit against the administration, or one of the twenty (or so) ...

Author:  Anne Hayes On Monday, the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Water and Power will be holding a field hearing in Fresno, California titled "Creating Jobs by Overcoming Man-Made Drought:  Time for Congress to Listen and Act."  The hearing will be held at the Fresno City Council Chambers from 10:00 a ...

Author: Brandon Middleton The last week has seen the Interior Department face numerous questions from members of Congress regarding scientific determinations made under the Endangered Species Act.  Last Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight conducted a hearing on the role of science in ESA determinations, at which&# ...

The newly elected 114th Congress will take office in January.  Amid the political commentary surrounding this month’s elections, many talking heads have discussed whether the nation will relive another government shutdown as Republicans in the legislative majority seek leverage over President Obama’s Democrats who control the execut ...

Liberty Blog readers know that the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule issued earlier this summer is not only a brazen power grab by the U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers that will create additional costs, risks, and confusion for ordinary property owners, but that it is also blatantly illegal. Last week, as … ...

Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate used a rare procedural device to pass Senate Joint Resolution 22, which would effectively negate the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulation issued jointly this summer by U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. The Senate “resolution of disapproval” was sponsored and passionately advanced by ...