State Watch

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Home equity thieves still lurk in the shadows. Michigan is the biggest culprit.

Oakland County, Michigan, stole Uri Rafaeli's financial assets in 2014. Three years earlier, Rafaeli had purchased a $60,000 rental property. He paid his taxes in 2012 and 2013, but he mistakenly had ...

2026-01-27

My Oregon (Governor's Blog) Oregon 7/10 ?

E-File Your Taxes to Get Your Refund and Kicker Faster

For taxpayers wanting to claim their share of Oregon’s $1.41 billion kicker  as soon as possible, filing electronically has never been more important. On average, taxpayers who e-file their returns an...

2026-01-12

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

CON Quarterly: Happy New Year

Welcome to the first CON Quarterly in 2026—Happy New Year, Readers.As a reminder, in markets where the government requires a certificate of need or CON, those who wish to offer a new service or ...

2026-01-27

My Oregon (Governor's Blog) Oregon 7/10 ?

ODOT is Putting the Brakes on Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that involves using force, fraud, or pressure to obtain cheap labor or commercial sex. Traffickers can be friends, family members, romantic partners, empl...

2026-01-08

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Federal court hears case challenging state-sanctioned trespassing in New Mexico

Historically, New Mexico protected property owners' right to restrict public access to their private land, including streambeds. But a 2022 New Mexico Supreme Court opinion gutted that right, allowing...

2026-01-26

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

From Austin to Pung: Defining the Excessive Fines Clause in the modern era

Drawing on centuries of warnings, the Framers included the Excessive Fines Clause in the Bill of Rights to protect individuals from unrestrained governments wielding monetary penalties that are wildly...

2026-01-23

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

American Heroes: Her family built a safe product. The government destroyed their business.

What happens when the federal government decides it doesn't like your product—even when it's safe, compliant, and trusted by families for years?On this episode of American Heroes, host Kathy Hoekstra ...

2026-01-22

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

What Joe Rogan’s hemp conversation reveals about Washington picking winners

On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Sen. Rand Paul surprised listeners (and the host) by explaining why some marijuana businesses have sided with the alcohol and pharmaceutical industries...

2026-01-21

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Alaska breweries win First Amendment challenge

When Jessie Janes opened Alaska's first hard kombucha brewery, he imagined more than just a tasting room. He envisioned a community space where Alaskans and tourists alike could gather for live entert...

2026-01-16

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

‘Mountain man’ continues legal battle challenging government bait-and-switch

Veteran and cowboy poet Wil Wilkins has lived in the Montana mountains his entire life. The "mountain man" generally spends his days working as a stonemason and blacksmith to create detailed, artisan ...

2026-01-16

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Federal court hears case representing historic mining company stripped of Seventh Amendment rights

In 2024, a historic mining company found itself before an agency tribunal. The company represented itself, filing petitions with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission to deny and vacate...

2026-01-15

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

National Review: Seize, Sell, Profit: Is the Government Allowed to Snatch a Family’s Home over a Disputed Tax Bill?

In the despotic tradition of officeholders whose self-regard exceeds the bounds of their office, meet Patricia DePriest, tax assessor for Union Township in Isabella County, Mich. DePriest believed a f...

2026-01-14

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

The government regulated rideshare drivers and entrepreneurs, violating principles of federalism

In recent months, state and national governments have acted beyond their constitutional authority by imposing restrictive regulations on rideshare drivers and entrepreneurs. Despite clear constitution...

2026-01-14

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Federal court hears case challenging financial surveillance regulation

From a young age, Celia Flowers dreamed of starting her own business, and in 1993, her dreams came true. After buying a title agency, she has successfully scaled her business, which now serves more th...

2026-01-13

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

The Carolina Journal: Let nurses fix NC’s health care shortage

A series of new billboard messages along I-77 outside Statesville both call attention to the problem of declining access to health care across North Carolina and propose a solution:Rural America is Dy...

2026-01-07

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Rhode Island court protects homeowner from unconstitutional permit demands

A coastal Rhode Island property owner secured a major victory last month when a judge entered final orders granting a preliminary injunction preventing the State's Coastal Resources Management Council...

2026-01-07

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Washington Post: The law that is trapping America in the past

Enacted in 1969 — before the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act — the National Environmental Policy Act was meant to ensure that federal agencies consider environmental effects before appr...

2026-01-07

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Tennessee town celebrates swift legal victory

A small town in Tennessee rang in the new year by celebrating a legal victory after a private group rapidly withdrew its lawsuit rather than defend its claims in court.In November 2025, the Alabama-ba...

2026-01-06

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Ninth Circuit rejects campus censorship after PLF amicus brief

In January 2022, longtime computer science professor at the University of Washington, Stuart Reges, posted his course syllabus. Buried among the usual course policies was a parody of the university's ...

2026-01-06

Pacific Legal Foundation California 8/10 ?

Federalism 240 years after the Constitutional Convention: Federalist 32

Does the federal government have the power to regulate an animal species that lives exclusively in one state? According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it does. Somehow, what is otherwise Congr...

2026-01-02