One thing Californians agree on is their opposition to laws that allow law enforcement to seize and keep people’s cash and property merely for being suspects of a crime, also known as asset forfeiture (learn more here). That’s according to a two new surveys by the Public Policy Polling. The surveys found “overwhelming statewide and…
Because of the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution, anyone accused of a crime is entitled to a trial by jury. To whit: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to…a public trial, by an impartial jury of the…district wherein the crime shall have been committed.” Nowadays, that right is denied to 98%…
BOSTON, Mass. (May 27, 2016) – A Massachusetts House committee has passed a bill that would put limitations on the storage and sharing of information collected by law enforcement agencies using Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in the state, and place significant roadblocks in the way of a federal program using states to help track the…
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 27, 2016) – A second New York Assembly committee has passed a bill that would allow customers to opt out of installing “smart meter” technology on their homes and businesses. Final passage of this bill would allow New Yorkers to protect their own privacy, and it would take a step toward blocking…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 26, 2016) – On Monday, the California Assembly passed a bill that would restrict warrantless drone surveillance by state and local law enforcement. If ultimately signed into law, the legislation would not only establish important privacy protections at the state level, it would also help thwart the federal surveillance state. Assemblyman Bill…
Despite growing awareness and even public outrage in the wake of unrest in Ferguson, the federal government continues to equip state and local police departments with military weapons. According to a new report by Open the Books, the feds transferred $2.2 billion worth of military gear to state and local agencies through Federal Program 1033…
Last week, Mises Institute President Jeff Deist released a podcast featuring a discussion about the political future of libertarianism, advising libertarian activists to embrace decentralization and de-federalization as a foundational strategic goal. “The only way we can get along is to de-yoke from Washington,” Deist said on the Patriots Lament radio show. “We have to…
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 25, 2016) – Earlier this month, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill into law that halts state efforts to comply with the EPA Clean Power Plan, at least temporarily. Senate Bill 318 (SB318) passed both houses of the Kansas legislature comfortably. It prohibits any state agency from engaging in activities relating…
Zero. That’s the number of federal gun control measures that are constitutional. We’ll talk about that, next.
Despite unconstitutional federal restrictions on industrial hemp farming, the industry last year netted half a billion dollars in sales in the United States. The Weed Blog reports: The Hemp Industries Association (HIA), a non-profit trade association consisting of hundreds of hemp businesses, has released final estimates of the size of the 2015 U.S. retail market…