Articles

Wow, I was really dreading the possibility that somewhere, somebody was actually being paid to make a meal for someone else without permission from the government. Good thing that undercover sheriff’s investigators, and aggressive prosecutors, have this menace to the public sorted out. The good people of the government of San Joaquin County ...

Occupational licensing is supposed to protect consumers against people who would practice a trade without the proper qualifications. In the first Supreme Court case on the question, Dent v. West Virginia (1883), the Court held that government may require people to be trained and educated before taking up the medical profession, because “such ...

Here at PLF, we are accustomed to overzealous regulators stifling entrepreneurs’ right to earn a living, and we’ve defended movers and pest controllers and written briefs in support of casket-making monks, and more.  So we shouldn’t be surprised that regulators have their eyes on another ridiculously benign target.  Bu ...

As we noted last week, PLF is challenging a Nevada law that requires private investigators to keep a “principal place of business” in the state.  This law essentially puts up a “keep out” sign at the Nevada border by making it more expensive for P.I.s who live outside the state to compete with Nevada residents.  As we a ...

Yesterday, PLF attorneys filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Troy Castillo challenging a Nevada law that prevents out-of-state entrepreneurs from competing across state lines.  The law requires private investigators to keep a “principal place of business” in the state, essentially putting up a “Keep Out” sign at the N ...

PLF’s Economic Liberty Project has taken several cases throughout the country that challenge protectionist occupational licensing laws in the moving industry–our latest being Underwood v. Mackay. Last week we filed an emergency pleading in that case, in which PLF attorneys are asking for a temporary restraining order to prevent the gove ...

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has an editorial today about PLF’s challenge to the Silver State’s anti-competitive licensing laws. Excerpt: If the real goal is to protect consumers against fly-by-night operations, the state could encourage such firms to acquire bonding and insurance with mandated coverage limits, or provide a state websit ...

Superhero films like The Avengers and The Dark Knight ruled the silver screen this summer. Millions of Americans escaped into cinematic worlds where daring guardians protected society from harm. Given the current economic climate, Americans could use a fleet of real-world fiscal Superheroes. Fortunately, America is already equipped with this its ow ...

I’m in St. Louis today to argue the case of entrepreneur Michael Munie. He’s been in the moving business for 20 years, and his company, ABC Quality Moving, is one of the most popular moving companies in the city. But under state law, he can’t get permission to operate throughout the rest of Missouri unless he … ...