Was the Chinese Surveillance Balloon in U.S. "Near Space"?
The nation's control over the air above our heads is less settled than some may think.
Property Rights
Zoning Crackdown Puts Animal Rescue Operation at Risk of Closing
Fairytale Farm Animal Sanctuary's work caring for abandoned and disabled animals is imperiled by a demand from the Winston-Salem city government that the nonprofit stop hosting on-site fundraisers and volunteer events.
Federal Appeals Court Rejects Rent Control Challenge, Says Government Has Wide Powers To Regulate Land Use
The 2nd Circuit reasoned that the government hasn't necessarily taken a landlord's property when it forces him or her to operate at a loss while renting to a tenant he or she never agreed to host.
This Texas Bill Could Bar Certain Immigrants From Buying Property in the State
Gov. Greg Abbott has already announced that he’d sign the bill if passed.
My New Video on Kelo v. City of New London
The video is part of the Federalist Society's series on important Supreme Court decisions.
The Alamo Is Trying To Eminent Domain This Man's Bar to Make Way for Museum Honoring Alamo Defenders
"I think, in principle, it's ridiculous to have to deal with this eminent domain bullshit on the grounds of the Alamo," says owner Vince Cantu.
One Small Step for Native American Water Rights
The Colorado River Indian Tribes have just won a victory—but there are a lot more controls that need to be lifted.
Elizabeth Warren, Jamaal Bowman Want To Give Lina Khan the Power To Impose Rent Control on the Whole Country
Warren and fellow progressive Democrats have asked President Joe Biden to use the FTC, HUD, or maybe the FHFA to impose nationwide rent control.
Supreme Court Decides to Hear Case Challenging State Law Empowering Government to Seize Entire Value of a House to Pay Much Smaller Property Tax Debt
Minnesota law allowed Hennepin County to seize a $40,000 home owned by a 93-year-old widow to pay off a $15,000 tax debt.
Historic Preservation Laws Are Stopping This Historic Church From Preserving Itself
Montreal's heritage laws could prevent the financially troubled St. John the Evangelist church from converting its little-used parish hall into a much-needed, revenue-generating asset.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's Housing Plan Avoids Common Mistake of Other YIMBY Reforms
The governor would let developers route around local zoning codes and get housing projects approved directly by state officials.
The Supreme Court Case That Could Upend the Clean Water Act
If SCOTUS finds in favor of a small-town Idaho couple in Sackett v. EPA, it could end the federal government's jurisdiction over millions of acres of land.
Help the Working Class by Deregulating Housing Construction
Economist Bryan Caplan explains how cutting back on zoning and other restrictions could create millions of new jobs for workers - on top of other beneficial effects.
Illinois City Agrees To Stop Fining People for Resisting Warrantless Home Inspections
Zion’s attempts to push out unwanted renters collides with Fourth Amendment protections.
Biden Administration Finalizes New WOTUS Definition for the New Year
The EPA and Army Corps have finalized a revised definition of "waters of the United States," which defines the scope of federal regulatory jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.
New York's Ultra-Broad Definition of "Blight" Continues to Enable Eminent Domain Abuse
In this case, it enables the state to declare the area around Penn Station in New York City "blighted" and thereby authorize the use of eminent domain to take property for transfer to private interests.
New HUD Report Shows Steady Pandemic-Era Increase in Unsheltered Homeless Population
The overall homeless population stayed basically flat from 2020 to 2022. But the number of people sleeping on the streets increased 3.4 percent.
Phoenix and the NFL Are Censoring Small Business Owners' Signs
Property owners are required to get permission from the city, the NFL, and/or the private Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee before displaying temporary advertisements and signs.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin Seeks to Expand Housing by Curbing Zoning
The move is a step in the right direction. It also highlights how the issue cuts across ideological lines.
Coase on Koppelman on Somin on Koppelman on Somin on Koppelman
A Post-Script to the Balkinization symposium on Andrew Koppelman's Burning Down the House.
California Bill Would Exempt Church-Sponsored Housing Projects From Hellish Zoning Laws
S.B. 4 would let religious institutions and nonprofit colleges skip the typical environmental review and red tape when building low-income housing on their property.
Ron DeSantis Admin Says in New Lawsuit That the Free Market Won't Produce Affordable Housing
Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity is suing the city of Gainesville to block its legalization of small "missing middle" apartment buildings in single-family neighborhoods.
Wildlife Agents Placed a Camera on His Property Without a Warrant, Then Raided His Home After He Removed It
How a Prohibition-era legal precedent allows warrantless surveillance on private property.
The Pilgrims Dreamed of Socialism. Then Socialism Almost Killed Them.
Private property was the solution to their failed experiment. But people keep repeating the Pilgrims' mistakes.
Cities Switch From Requiring Too Many Parking Spaces To Banning Too Many Parking Spaces
Nashville is the latest city to eliminate minimum parking requirements while simultaneously capping how much parking developers are now allowed to build.
Biden's 'Made In America' Plan Is Bullying Homeowners Off Their Land to Build a Taxpayer-Subsidized Chip Plant
The president has touted a factory jobs boom. In practice, that means forcing people out of their homes to benefit corporate projects that rely on billions of dollars of subsidies.
Space Is an Opportunity To Rethink Property Rights
Here's what could happen when John Locke and Henry George go to the moon.
NIMBYism and Economic Ignorance
A new study presents compelling evidence that opposition to new housing construction is often caused the mistaken belief that it will increase housing prices rather than reduce them.
Houston Prosecutors Are Keeping Cash Seized From Defendants Whose Cases Were Compromised by Police Corruption
Even in cases that hinged on the trustworthiness of demonstrably untrustworthy cops, people are still waiting to get their money back.
My New The Hill Article on How Arlington, VA Battle over "Missing Middle" Housing is a Microcosm of Broader National Struggle Against Exclusionary Zoning
Barack Obama could have been referring to our community, when he said that “[t]he most liberal communities in the country aren’t that liberal when it comes to affordable housing.”
Colorado Town Seizing Ski Resort's Land To Stop It Building Employee Housing
The Vail Town Council says that while affordable housing is desperately needed in the community, Vail Resorts' Booth Heights project would threaten local bighorn sheep.
Markets Aren't Perfect, but Government Is Worse
The free market allows people to cooperate, fix errors, and adapt to changing circumstances.
Gavin Newsom Cites Dubious Evidence That His Lockdowns Saved California's Economy
The governor made these claims on Monday while also putting a February 2023 end date on the state's emergency public health order.
Sixth Circuit Rules Government Cannot Seize $300,000 in Home Equity to Pay $22,000 Tax Debt
Doing so qualifies as a taking requiring "just compensation" under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Sixth Circuit Finds Government Seizure of Home's Equitable Title to Satisfy Tax Debt Was a Taking
An important victory against "self-dealing" by state and local governments.
The Nation's Worst Rent Control Law Gets a Few Moderating Fixes
The St. Paul City Council passed a series of amendments to a voter-passed rent stabilization ordinance that exempt new construction and make it easier for landlords to factor inflation into rent increases.
He Didn't Break Any Rules. New York City Is Demanding He Pay a Fine Anyway
The Big Apple's building regulations are almost impossible to navigate, and officials like it that way.
As California Embraces Development, San Francisco Mayor Vetoes Fake Housing Reform Bill
The proposed policy was offensive to property rights and disincentivized construction. The mayor's rejection of it shows the state's increasing interest in allowing more building.
Why the Florida and Texas Social Media Laws Violate the Takings Clause
They mandate occupation of private property without the consent of the owner.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Administration Tells Gainesville To Abandon Zoning Reform
The state's Republican administration comes out against property rights and local control.
Christian Britschgi: Zoning Restrictions Worsen the Housing Crisis
Associate Editor Christian Britschgi breaks down how zoning restrictions distort the housing market.
Number of American Mass Murders Relatively Steady Since 2006
Plus: A surge in female voter registrations, eminent domain in North Carolina, and more...
Prosecutors Who Want Credit for Investigating Police Corruption Are Happy To Steal Money From Innocent People
The Harris County, Texas, District Attorney's Office oversees civil forfeitures that make a mockery of justice.
Little Libraries, Free at Last?
Good news for fans of literacy and opponents of restrictive zoning codes
The Political Strategy of "Making the Other Side Better"
Economist Tyler Cowen argues this approach is too often neglected. But is more common than he suggests.
A Black Family's Property Was Seized via Eminent Domain. A Century Later, Their Descendants Just Got It Back.
Segregation-era racists tried to drive the Bruces away from their own beachfront property. When intimidation didn't work, they resorted to the power of the state.