The Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, interpreting employment discrimination on the basis of “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender identity, has sparked a fair bit of talk about how religious liberty is supposedly circling the legal drain (related Twitter discussion here). The best single response I’ve seen to these concerns is this new article in The … Continue reading Religious Liberty Is Alive and Well at the U.S. Supreme Court
Category: Liberty
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell highlighted during a recent Senate Banking Committee hearing that the “best way the Federal Reserve can help reduce racial inequality is to return the U.S. labor market to its pre-coronavirus strength.” Indeed, ensuring a thriving job market by advancing economic freedom is the key fundamental element of reducing poverty, dependence on … Continue reading Time to Revitalize America’s Economic Freedom
In March, Princess Pope was forced to close her business—Guns and Roses Boutique, located in Dallas—because of the coronavirus. Then things got worse. Shortly after she was allowed to reopen, Pope’s store was vandalized and looted during the protests and riots that erupted following the death of George Floyd. “I can’t believe it,” Pope told … Continue reading Charlamagne tha God and Killer Mike Urge Black Americans to Embrace the 2nd Amendment
It is common to hear social media figures and pundits deride censorship on social media and other technology platforms. As I wrote in Towards Data Science, this threat is very real, especially during the COVID-19 public health crisis. However, the exaggeration of the threat plays into our society’s growing fondness for “grievance culture.” The story … Continue reading Is Private Internet Censorship Unconstitutional?
Ten days can be a long time in constitutional law. On May 29 a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the four more liberal Justices, refused to order California to lift its restrictions, meant to curb transmission of the novel coronavirus, on church services that have more than 100 attendees or fill more than … Continue reading Constitutionally, Religious Gatherings Must Enjoy the Same Rights As Protest Gatherings
Placement on the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database (the “Watchlist”) is never a good thing. For 23 Muslim‐American litigants, among thousands of others listed, it means reduced employment opportunities, potential arrest and detention, and, most notoriously, severe limitations on their freedom to travel by air. The government insists it doesn’t need court approval before placing someone on … Continue reading You Ought to Be Able to Challenge Your Placement on the No‐Fly List
As the country attempts to reopen amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, one easy way we can help reduce the spread of the disease is using face masks. But policymakers—such as those in California and in some cities—are exactly wrong to mandate them. Policymakers and public health officials should encourage the use of masks, but should absolutely avoid … Continue reading Using Face Masks Is Still a Good Idea. Mandating Them Isn’t.
A couple of days ago Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom hosted a discussion on one of the hottest topics in education: homeschooling. The issue is in the front of many people’s minds because COVID-19 forced just about every child in the world to school at home. But people have been debating the right degree of parental and … Continue reading Should Government Officials Drop in on Homeschooling Families?
High school-educated, working-class parents aren’t capable of overseeing their own child’s education, a state lawmaker said last week. New Hampshire state Sen. Jeanne Dietsch, D-Peterborough, made the comment at a committee hearing last Tuesday while promoting a bill that would stop the state Board of Education from creating a new way of allocating high school graduation credits. … Continue reading Yes, Senator, Parents Can Educate Their Own Kids
In a recent article, The Economist provided compelling evidence that “democracies contain epidemics most effectively.” According to the article’s analysis, … most data suggest that political freedom can be a tonic against disease. The Economist has [analyzed] epidemics from 1960 to 2019. Though these outbreaks varied in contagiousness and lethality, a clear correlation emerged. Among countries with … Continue reading Why Democracy and Free Markets Are the Best Antidotes to Pandemics
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