New Israeli Government's Judicial Reforms Are not Anti-Democratic—But they May Create a Tyranny of the Majority

The new right-wing Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put forward reform proposals that, if enacted, would largely destroy judicial review, and concentrate more power in the hands of ruling politicians. Critics have denounced the reforms as anti-democratic. For example, Aharon Barak, the famed former Chief Justice of...

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About Single-Judge Divisions

After I graduated law school, I clerked in the Johnstown Division of the Western District of Pennsylvania for two years. Until fairly recently, that Division had a single federal judge. (The judge for whom I clerked assumed senior status, but still hears cases, along with a new active judge.) Since the single-judge division is in the news, I thought...

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Today in Supreme Court History: February 5, 1793

2/5/1793: Chisholm v. Georgia argued. The post Today in Supreme Court History: February 5, 1793 appeared first on Reason.com.

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Examining America's War in Iraq After 20 Years

On March 20, 2003, what was officially one of America's shorter wars began with an airstrike on Saddam Hussein's presidential palace in Baghdad. U.S. armed forces, 160,000 strong, moved out of Kuwait and across Iraq, and after overcoming a few small roadblocks along the way took the capital city within three weeks. On May 1, President George W. Bush...

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The Continuing Relevance of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass.  February is Black History Month. And there are few more prominent figures in black American history than Frederick Douglass. Today, he is primarily remembered for his role in the abolitionist movement, and for his inspiring and compelling autobiography, which recounts his escape from slavery and subsequent life. But Douglass was...

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The USDA Can't Stop Organic Food Fraud

Amended U.S. Department of Agriculture rules announced last month suggest the agency has high hopes for plans to crack down on fraud in the organic food sector. "The amendments protect integrity in the organic supply chain and build consumer and industry trust in the USDA organic label by strengthening organic control systems, improving farm to market...

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Today in Supreme Court History: February 4, 1824

2/4/1824: Gibbons v. Ogden argued. The post Today in Supreme Court History: February 4, 1824 appeared first on Reason.com.

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The GOP's Pitchfork Populism Is Older Than Trump

As Donald Trump walked into the Mar-a-Lago ballroom where he was about to announce his 2024 run for president, the words "Do you hear the people sing, singing a song of angry men?" boomed over the loudspeakers. Whether or not their politics match those of the protagonists of Les Misérables, the musical from which that song originates, angry men and...

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A Galveston SWAT Team Wrecked an Innocent Family's Home. Then They Kept It From the City.

The chief of police in Galveston, Texas, has been placed on administrative leave as the city investigates a botched SWAT raid that caused an estimated $5,000 in property damage to an innocent family's home. Police subsequently withheld information about the raid, and city officials only learned of it days later following local news reports, according...

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Cop Orders Reporter To Leave a Park for Daring To Interview a Child

A cop who ordered a man to leave a suburban New York amusement park for talking to a child has been reprimanded by his department and ordered to attend First Amendment training. Kicking the man—a reporter—out of the park was a "violation of department policy," Jeffrey Weiss, commanding officer of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety's...

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