Articles

Author: Timothy Sandefur George Hahn is an entrepreneur who had an idea for a different kind of garden fertilizer—one made out of, yes, worm poop. Or “worm castings,” as they’re called in the trade. Worm castings are a natural component of all healthy garden soil, and gardeners have long known that worms play a crucial … ...

Author: Daniel Himebaugh Back in January, we highlighted Robert H. Nelson's book, The New Holy Wars: Economic Religion v. Environmental Religion in Contemporary America, which frames some of today's major public policy battles in terms of religious conflict.  While we thought that Nelson might be engaging in hyperbole, we also suggest ...

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 … ...

I have two new posts up at Cato Unbound, addressing what it means to search for original meaning—and taking on the myth that Dred Scott was “a substantive due process case.” Don’t forget to check out the other conversation posts, too! … ...

My most recent post in the ongoing discussion about substantive due process discusses federalism, states’ rights, and the Individual Mandate. … ...

The Supreme Court today heard oral arguments about Arizona’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. That state’s law gives police officers the duty to check identification and take other steps to enforce federal immigration laws which, the state argues, the federal officers have left unenforced. The Obama Administration argues th ...

At the Liberty Law Blog, Prof. Richard Samuelson argues that John Adams’ defense of religious liberty offers a model for our own day. Adams refused to write Article III of the Massachusetts Constitution—which provided for an established church—because it was inconsistent with his belief in religious freedom. Instead, Samuelson writes,  ...

It’s been a big day here at PLF.  On top of our momentous win in our direct representation Supreme Court property rights case, Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District, we also had a long-anticipated victory in the Voting Rights Act case, Shelby County v. Holder, where we participated as amicus.  Shelby was a … ...

As a freshman at Texas A&M University, 18-year-old Elizabeth Helbing and others were invited by two upperclassmen, Oliver Hunt and John Deaver, on a traditional Aggie outing to lay beneath a railroad bridge at night, and feel the “rush” of the train speeding overhead.  Wearing flip-flops and making her way by the light of cellphone ...