Articles

Changing the way we change : Is reforming the constitutional amendment process the key to restoring federalism?

January 25, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

The federal government, although originally vested with only limited powers, has greatly expanded its reach over time.  Examples abound: the health insurance individual mandate, federal regulation of land use as a consequence of the Endangered Species Act, and centralized control of water resources under the Clean Water Act come to mind.  It was ...

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The debate over Substantive Due Process continues

February 10, 2012 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

This month’s edition of Cato Unbound, featuring my article Why Substantive Due Process Makes Sense, continues today with a response by Prof. Ryan Williams, as well as an earlier response by Prof. Lawrence Rosenthal. A final response, by Prof. Gary Lawson, will be posted in a few days, and then the table will be open for … ...

Articles

More on due process of law

February 16, 2012 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

The conversation over my article, In Defense of Substantive Due Process is continuing over at Cato Unbound. Check out these posts by Lawrence Rosenthal, Ryan Williams, and two by myself. And feel free to join the conversation. … ...

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Reflecting on 20 years of PLF in the Pacific Northwest

February 21, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

This year marks the 20th anniversary of PLF’s Northwest Regional Center.  This is definitely a moment to celebrate, and we intend to do so.  But more than that, this is a time to reflect on two decades of PLF’s efforts in the Pacific Northwest. PLF opened its Northwest office in 1992.  Sir Mix-A-Lot was topping … ...

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20 years of Pacific Northwest victories : fighting Seattle’s housing preservation laws

March 06, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

In one of our earliest efforts in the Pacific Northwest, PLF participated in several cases challenging the constitutionality of a Seattle ordinance that severely restricted the use of low income rental properties. Throughout the 1980s, the City of Seattle, faced with a booming redevelopment market, adopted a series of ordinances that were intended ...

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20 years of Pacific Northwest victories : fighting for a coherent regulatory takings test

March 20, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

At the time PLF opened its office in the Pacific Northwest, Washington’s courts had adopted an extremely pro-regulation and anti-property rights stance toward regulatory takings law.  This was primarily due to the fact that the courts were operating under the notion that any regulation of private property that is designed to protect people f ...

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U.S. Supreme Court to review important property rights case

April 02, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to take review of the important property rights case, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. United States.  This case asks whether government actions that result in intermittent physical invasion and occupation of another person’s property over a period of 8 years give rise to a claim for damage ...

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U.S. Supreme Court to decide important property rights issues

April 03, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the temporary takings case, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. United States. Our friends at the Cato Institute wrote this article highlighting the importance of the case to private landowners. … ...

Articles

What we won in Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners

April 06, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court denied PLF’s petition for a writ of certiorari in the case, Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners v. Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board – a case that challenged Kitsap County’s adoption of regulations that require shoreline property owners who seek building permits to dedicate signific ...