Articles

The Congressional Review Act should be one of the nation's least controversial laws. To restore some measure of democratic accountability to the administrative state, it requires federal agencies to submit the rules they impose on us to our elected representatives for review before they go into effect. That's it! The law imposes a simple paperwo ...

Accountability is sorely lacking in the administrative state. Unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats make decisions significantly affecting our daily lives with too little involvement from our elected officials. The Congressional Review Act was intended to restore at least some degree of democratic accountability to the administrative process. It ...

Last Saturday, Ryan Zinke, the Secretary for the Department of the Interior, recommended a reduction in the size of the Bears Ears National Monument, consistent with comments PLF sent to the Secretary last month. President Trump has ordered a review of several National Monuments designated in the past couple of decades, and the Bears Ears National ...

As readers of this blog are aware, many Presidents have abused their power under the Antiquities Act to prevent productive use on federal lands (and on the ocean). President Trump has ordered a review of several of these Monuments, and the Department of the Interior has solicited comments from the public. Yesterday, PLF submitted comments on the ...

We've written a lot lately about past Presidents' abuse of the Antiquities Act and President Trump's opportunity to reconsider some of those abuses. A few weeks ago, the President issued an executive order calling for a review of 21 years of monument designations, suggesting that he may use his power to revoke past designations. Naturally, this ha ...

This morning, President Trump issued an executive order requiring the Department of Interior to review 21 years of national monument designations. That review is long overdue. For decades, Presidents have treated the Antiquities Act as a blank check to shut down productive activity over vast areas, in the belief that doing so will establish their l ...

Nearly two centuries ago, the Supreme Court recognized that the "unavoidable consequence" of the Constitution's Supremacy Clause is that States have "no power ... to retard, impede, burden, or in any manner control" federal policies that are otherwise consistent with the Constitution. California, unfortunately, has forgotten this important history ...