In 2021, Taralyn Romero and her fiancé bought a home on a small 0.68-acre parcel in Kittredge, Colorado. What was meant to be a mountain sanctuary quickly turned sour when she discovered that her backyard—private property she owned—was treated like a public park.  

At first, Taralyn tried to be accepting of the unwelcome visitors, but eventually, the littering and verbal abuse became too much. When she finally decided to assert her property rights, she was smeared as the town’s “Wicked Witch of the West.” Worse still, the County joined in—suing to seize her land to appease the obstinate minority of her small-town neighbors.

Today, four years later, Taralyn has built a strong online following as a champion of property rights. She’s created a network of social media activists who call themselves the “flying monkeys”—a nod to her Wicked Witch moniker—and they’re stacking up wins in the court of public opinion, helping to restore respect for property rights across the country.

What do small-time butchers, influential businessmen, and a 19th-century public health crisis have in common? They’re all central to one of the most destructive Supreme Court decisions ever handed down against Americans’ economic liberty. 

As PLF’s Brittany Hunter argues, “The Slaughter-House Cases drove the first nail in the coffin of the [Gilded Age’s] greatest promise: freedom to prosper.”

Last Friday, PLF released new research highlighting how landmark Supreme Court rulings are reshaping property rights, equality before the law, and the balance of power between citizens and government. 

PLF legal fellow Sydney Madigan, author of the report, explains, “These rulings don’t just protect individual rights in the courtroom. They also offer a roadmap for policymakers to strengthen freedom in every state.”

The federal administrative state rightfully receives much attention from elected officials and policymakers. But as PLF attorney Adi Dynar points out, “The state administrative state” shouldn’t get a pass. 

In his latest blog post, Adi outlines five legislative solutions that state lawmakers should consider to rein in their state’s administrative bureaucracy and restore political accountability of unelected agency officials to the people’s elected representatives.

For many Missourians, access to healthcare is out of reach. Eighty percent of the state is considered a healthcare desert, with too few providers to meet the needs of local residents.  

But rather than empowering more providers, state law exacerbates this crisis by tying the hands of nurse practitioners—like PLF client Marcy Markes— whose advanced medical training and clinical scope make them uniquely qualified to help expand healthcare access in communities that need it the most.