Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

June 4, 2021 at 3:26 PM

The Docket - Can governors balance emergency powers and protect civil liberties?

As the world opens back up, emergency powers reform still matters As the country continues to re-open after more than a year of living under COVID emergency orders, it may be tempting to ignore calls to restrict executive overreach. But Daniel Dew tells us why we must be vigilant …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

May 28, 2021 at 3:23 PM

The Docket - State-sponsored home equity theft robs family, bankrolls private company

State’s home equity theft scheme robs family, funds private company’s windfall Home is everything to Tina Dupere, and in 1996, she moved back into her childhood home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to live with her mother, Mary Ann. But when Mary Ann suffered a debilitating stroke i…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

May 21, 2021 at 4:20 PM

The Docket - After losing a congressional seat, California needs a course correction

After losing a congressional seat, California needs a course correction According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, California’s leading exports are computers and electronic products. But these days, it feels like the top exports are jobs, residents, and misguided public poli…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

May 14, 2021 at 3:26 PM

The Docket - Great news! Another state ends home equity theft

Great news! North Dakota ends home equity theft There is cause for celebration in North Dakota, the latest in a growing list of states that forbid home equity theft. Prior to April, local officials could seize and sell valuable properties when the owners fell behind on property t…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

May 7, 2021 at 3:19 PM

The Docket - NYC theatres challenge Gov. Cuomo’s unequal shutdown orders

North Carolina bureaucrats are about to learn a lesson in the importance of property rights When is losing the entire value of your property, due to government regulation, not an “undue hardship”? According to the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission, the answer is whenever…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

April 30, 2021 at 3:29 PM

The Docket - Elon Musk and The Federalist targeted as NLRB embraces ‘cancel culture’

National Review: Free speech in battle with snitch culture before the courts Upset at not making the varsity cheerleading team, a high school sophomore vented her frustrations in a vulgarity-laden Snapchat post. Another student’s screenshot of the post got back to the school, which…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

April 23, 2021 at 3:26 PM

The Docket - What packing the Supreme Court would really do

CNN: What packing the Supreme Court would really do U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer recently offered some advice to the proponents of court packing: think long and hard about the consequences. Elizabeth Slattery says Breyer is right: any silver-bullet solution that purpo…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

April 16, 2021 at 5:25 PM

The Docket - There are better ways to house people than by banning evictions

The OC Register: Granny Flats are much ADU about nothing There are only three bad things about accessory dwelling units. The first two are (1) the name and (2) the acronym, commonly used to describe all varieties of second, small homes attached to a main house. The third bad thin…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

April 9, 2021 at 3:26 PM

The Docket - State legislatures should be reining in executive emergency powers

Racial equality means standing up against Asian-American discrimination in education Like many parents of students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ), Julia McCaskill is an immigrant. Julia is from Shanghai and came to the United States to pursue her ow…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

April 2, 2021 at 3:20 PM

The Docket - The New York Times accidentally praises PLF’s advocacy for property rights

Wall Street Journal: Schools offer empty words to Asians The national dialogue has rightly focused on laws and policies that discriminate against Asians. But the problem has been brewing for years in school districts across the country. Wencong Fa writes about the alarming trend …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

March 26, 2021 at 3:17 PM

The Docket - John Stossel on unions invading private property

John Stossel: Unions invade private property The Supreme Court’s sole property rights case this term caught the attention of John Stossel, who added the story to his Stossel TV video series. The video stars Mike Fahner, owner of Cedar Point Nursery, and his dedicated workforce, wh…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Steven D. Anderson · [email protected]

March 22, 2021 at 11:42 PM

PLF Brings Property Rights Back to the Supreme Court

    This was a critical day for property rights and liberty in America. Today, Cedar Point Nursery and Fowler Packing Company brought their five-year battle against California’s “union access regulation” before the U.S. Supreme Court. Cedar Point v. Hassid is a defense of t…

See More from Steven D. Anderson

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

March 19, 2021 at 7:29 PM

The Docket - Property rights at the U.S. Supreme Court

Labor unions shouldn’t get a special pass to trespass on private property Which of these things is not like the others? Bullhorn-wielding Black Lives Matter (BLM) activist at Starbucks. Students staging a sit-in at a private college to protest administration salaries and student …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

March 12, 2021 at 4:21 PM

The Docket - Victory! Court sets aside the CDC’s ban on evictions

Victory! Court sets aside the CDC’s ban on evictions A federal court ruled this week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority in issuing a nationwide eviction ban. It’s a major victory for PLF clients and the rule of law. The decision restores…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

February 26, 2021 at 4:21 PM

The Docket - Individuals of all beliefs benefit from strong privacy protections

Individuals of all beliefs benefit from strong privacy protections Last month, the Supreme Court announced it will review a case dealing with whether a nonprofit organization has the right to protect the privacy of its donors in California. Jeremy Talcott tells us that the High C…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

February 19, 2021 at 4:36 PM

The Docket - Broad coalition of groups weigh in on property rights at the Supreme Court

Broad coalition of groups weigh in on property rights at the Supreme Court On March 22, PLF will argue Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid before the Supreme Court, one of the most important cases involving property rights in recent memory. PLF is fighting for the property rights of the …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

February 12, 2021 at 4:17 PM

The Docket - Tax lien foreclosures—or legalized home theft?

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco cannot foist pandemic’s economic burden onto landlords In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across the country have tried to limit the economic damage caused by the unprecedented lockdowns. That is certainly a worthy goal, write…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

February 5, 2021 at 4:20 PM

The Docket - After a year of chaos, here’s how to kick-start America’s revival

Our path forward: After a year of chaos, here’s how to kick-start America’s revival The chaos of 2020 has left Americans deeply concerned about the state of our nation. Instead of positive, forward-looking actions to restore confidence in the nation’s governing institutions, howev…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

January 29, 2021 at 4:19 PM

The Docket - Who Gets to Make the Rules? Washington May Finally Get It Right

Tapped out—North Carolina’s irrational shutdown orders threaten bar owners’ livelihoods Earlier this month, Gov. Roy Cooper appeared on national cable news touting how he closed North Carolina bars to fight the spread of COVID-19. The problem is most restaurants, breweries, and wi…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

January 22, 2021 at 4:16 PM

The Docket -In Mass., private companies can make a killing, legally, if you can’t keep up with your property taxes

Boston Globe: In Mass., private companies can make a killing, legally, if you can’t keep up with your property taxes It didn’t take long for the newest case in PLF’s nationwide initiative to end home equity theft to catch the eye of Sean Murphy, a prominent 30-year Boston Globe re…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

January 15, 2021 at 4:19 PM

The Docket - Enough is enough: It’s past time to rein in governors’ emergency powers

Enough is enough: It’s past time to rein in governors’ emergency powers Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic almost a year ago, governors and mayors have been ruling unilaterally under the guise of emergency powers, and state legislatures and courts have delayed too long i…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

January 8, 2021 at 3:42 PM

The Docket - Property destruction is a blight on the sacred right to protest

Battleground America: Online event series examines critical issues at stake in America America, as a country, stands for the ideal of freedom. The ability to live your life, for the power of the individual. For grit, hard work, and the entrepreneurial spirit. For the freedom to pur…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

December 18, 2020 at 4:18 PM

Morning Docket - Can they really do that? What are the limits of government during COVID-19?

The governor who stole Christmas—and the California businesses fighting back Small business owners across California have struggled to survive this year in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and related shutdown orders. And in Grinch-like fashion, Gov. Gavin Newsom stole what lit…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

December 11, 2020 at 4:24 PM

Morning Docket - The California Coastal Commission explained

When can the president tell government agency directors, “You’re fired”? The Supreme Court this week heard oral argument in Collins v. Mnuchin, challenging the structure of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Created by Congress in response to the 2008 mortgage lending cri…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

December 4, 2020 at 4:22 PM

Morning Docket - Blue-collar fishermen deserve to make a living

Blue-collar fishermen deserve to make a living Austen Brown and Chris Williams owe their livelihoods to their ability to fish commercially off of California’s coast. While they both haul in a variety of fish, swordfish are among their top catches. But recent California legislation …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

December 3, 2020 at 6:11 AM

PLF launches new Supreme Court podcast: Dissed

    Pacific Legal Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new podcast, Dissed. Supreme Court dissents have it all: brilliant writing, surprising reasoning, shade, puns, and, often, historic impact. Although they are written by the “losing” side, they can persuade oth…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

November 20, 2020 at 4:19 PM

Morning Docket - Governors can’t single-handedly govern during COVID-19

Governors can’t single-handedly govern during COVID-19 Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak began, individuals and businesses have taken extraordinary measures to slow its spread. But in many states, instead of working with legislatures to enact reasonable and constitutional COVID-19 …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

November 13, 2020 at 4:22 PM

Morning Docket - Obamacare and the saddest kind of dissent

Obamacare and the saddest kind of dissent Judges write dissenting opinions for all kinds of reasons. The best dissents are the ones that never see the light of day because they are so persuasive and they become the majority. And perhaps the saddest are those that began as a majorit…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

October 30, 2020 at 3:20 PM

Morning Docket - Fighting the CDC’s national eviction ban to restore separation of powers

Fighting the CDC’s national eviction ban to restore separation of powers In early September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted an order that prohibits certain evictions for non-payment of rent. However, in its haste to enact and enforce a national evictio…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

October 23, 2020 at 3:24 PM

Morning Docket - Liberty, in sickness and in health

Liberty, in sickness and in health In the pandemic’s early days, the American judiciary largely gave governors wide leeway in issuing unprecedented business-closure and stay-at-home orders in order to dampen the spread of the disease. As time wore on, however, more and more drast…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

October 16, 2020 at 3:19 PM

Morning Docket - New PLF documentary: Dream Factories

New PLF documentary: Dream Factories New York City’s Specialized High Schools are among the best in the world. They’ve produced 14 Nobel Prize winners—more than many countries. The schools are free, and open to anyone who can pass a rigorous admissions test. Meanwhile, the city’s …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

October 9, 2020 at 3:26 PM

Morning Docket - You shouldn’t need to be rich to defend your civil rights in court

You shouldn’t need to be rich to defend your civil rights in court If the government violates your civil rights, should you only be able to defend yourself in court if you can afford a high-priced lawyer (or convince a high-priced lawyer to represent you for free)? Of course not. …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

October 2, 2020 at 3:47 PM

Morning Docket - How the Supreme Court functions with only eight Justices

Orange County Register: Prop. 16 won’t end injustice, but it will jeopardize equality under the law On Election Day, Californians will vote on Proposition 16, which would amend the state constitution to allow state bureaucrats to give preferences in public employment, contracting,…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

September 25, 2020 at 3:21 PM

Morning Docket - PLF’s defense of liberty at the Supreme Court will continue

Fox News: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a lioness of the law As we prepare for what may be the most contentious showdown over a Supreme Court vacancy in history, Elizabeth Slattery takes a moment to review the legacy of a giant in the legal profession. Read More PLF’s defense of lib…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

September 4, 2020 at 3:22 PM

Morning Docket - Why governors shouldn’t have unchecked emergency powers

The Orange County Register: The end of the Judicial Council’s unlawful eviction ban provides key civics lesson The California Judicial Council, which crafts rules for the California court system, enacted an emergency rule to block eviction hearings in response to COVID-19. Oliver D…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

August 28, 2020 at 3:21 PM

Morning Docket - Mr. President, allow more suburban houses to be built, not less

Wall Street Journal: Mr. President, allow more suburban houses to be built, not less In an August 16 Wall Street Journal op-ed, President Donald Trump and Ben Carson, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, pledged to protect America’s suburbs against federal…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

August 21, 2020 at 3:21 PM

Morning Docket - California ban on evictions rescinded after PLF lawsuit

Judicial Council of California rescinds eviction ban after lawsuit Following a lawsuit filed by Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of California landlords, the Judicial Council of California announced last week that it will end its illegal ban on eviction hearings. In voting to re…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

August 14, 2020 at 3:19 PM

Morning Docket - Governments should uphold separation of powers during COVID-19

The Hill: States should pay attention to Supreme Court justices’ comments on ‘reopening’ orders The scope and duration of state governors’ stay-at-home orders this year are unlike any pandemic orders in American history. So, it is not surprising that several hundred lawsuits filed …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

August 7, 2020 at 3:22 PM

Morning Docket - Congressional and state efforts to reform doctrine of qualified immunity under way

The Hill: To cripple the abusive campus ‘sex bureaucracy,’ rein in the Title IX coordinators If you want to entrench a government policy, make sure someone’s job depends on enforcing it. Even if that person isn’t a true believer in the program initially, he or she will be by the t…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

July 31, 2020 at 3:18 PM

Morning Docket - Governments should uphold separation of powers during COVID-19

The Detroit News: Victory! State’s highest court upholds fundamental property rights “[G]overnment shall not collect more in taxes than are owed, nor shall it take more property than is necessary to serve the public[.]” With these words, the Michigan Supreme Court confirmed what U…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

July 24, 2020 at 3:04 PM

Morning Docket - Victory! Michigan Supreme Court ends home equity theft

Victory! Michigan Supreme Court ends home equity theft In a momentous victory for homeowners and their property rights, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled on July 17 that counties may not steal the savings that people stored away in their homes. Until last week, Michigan counties co…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

July 17, 2020 at 3:21 PM

Morning Docket - Quarantines for out-of-state visitors exceeds governors’ emergency authority

National Review: The case against qualified immunity Prior to the last few weeks, many Americans probably had never heard of the esoteric legal doctrine known as “qualified immunity.” But as a result of the nationwide protests against abusive policing, the call to “End Qualified I…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

July 10, 2020 at 3:25 PM

Morning Docket - Will the voters freeze new housing development in November?

Victory! Georgia Board of Nursing relents after free speech lawsuit by midwife Late last year, Debbie Pulley sued the Georgia Board of Nursing after it ordered her to stop describing herself as a Certified Professional Midwife and midwife. Forced to either lie, stay silent, or su…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

July 3, 2020 at 3:17 PM

Morning Docket - American Resilience: Our Nation Was Made To Survive Tough Times Like These

American Resilience: Our Nation Was Made To Survive Tough Times Like These In a typical year, the Fourth of July would be an occasion to celebrate America’s origins, history, and future. Marking the anniversary of our nation’s founding should be an opportunity for reflection on the…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

June 26, 2020 at 3:20 PM

Morning Docket - Local governments are undermining state laws that encourage ‘granny flats’

2020 has hurt minority small business owners the most 2020 feels like it’s following Murphy’s law: If something can go wrong, it will. Whether it’s COVID-19, the worst recession since the Great Depression, or the pain and turmoil from police violence and the subsequent protests, …

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

June 19, 2020 at 3:19 PM

Morning Docket - Fighting the California Judicial Council’s emergency ban on evictions

Fighting the California Judicial Council’s emergency ban on evictions In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, California’s Judicial Council—the agency that oversees state courts—declared a de facto ban on evictions. That is, courts will not consider eviction cases during Governor Gav…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

June 12, 2020 at 3:18 PM

Morning Docket - Qualified immunity is a blank check for government overreach

Connecticut nail salon owner fights for fair treatment under COVID-19 shutdown orders In early March, Luis Ramirez closed his Hartford, Connecticut, nail salon, following Governor Ned Lamont’s executive orders for statewide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Struggling to ear…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

June 5, 2020 at 3:19 PM

Morning Docket - Seattle’s rent moratorium would hurt renters and landlords—and it’s unconstitutional

Seattle’s rent moratorium would hurt renters and landlords—and it’s unconstitutional At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the Seattle City Council enacted a tenant relief policy that temporarily prohibits evictions or rent collection but allows for landlords to collect back re…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

May 29, 2020 at 3:30 PM

Morning Docket - Can we sue our way out of quarantine?

Open for business: Napa retail art galleries claim victory as county backs down in the face of a legal challenge After two long months of pandemic-related shutdown, throngs of Napa County, California, business owners are finally free to open back up. Quent Cordair Fine Art, a busi…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation

  Pacific Legal Foundation · [email protected]

May 22, 2020 at 3:18 PM

Morning Docket - President Trump signs executive order installing a “Regulatory Bill of Rights”

 Trump signs executive order affirming a “Regulatory Bill of Rights” President Trump signed a historic order this week that bolsters basic due process protections for Americans caught up in agency regulatory proceedings. The order includes a 10 point “Regulatory Bill of Rights” tha…

See More from Pacific Legal Foundation