4 Takeaways From the Supreme Court's 2025–2026 Term
From executive power to civil liberties, what to make of a momentous year at SCOTUS?
Latest
'Government Totally Annihilated': How Americans Governed Themselves as British Rule Crumbled
America in the mid-1770s was a jumble of spontaneous formations amid the ruins of an empire.
A Federal Judge Slams Trump's IRS Lawsuit As a Pretext for Delivering a Phony 'Settlement'
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams concludes that the case never presented a true "case or controversy" because both sides were controlled by the president.
Did Lindsey Graham Push Trump Toward War?
Plus: Trump's escalating war with Iran, the bipartisan congressional housing bill, and Graham Platner's campaign collapse
A New Jersey Judge Defies the First Amendment by Censoring News Coverage of a High School Lockdown
The judge contradicted Supreme Court precedents by ruling that a student's "privacy interests" trumped "the severe constitutional presumption" against prior restraints.
Trump Accounts Add Confusion to Savings Accounts Without Adding Much Benefit
Let's simplify this system instead of making it even more complicated.
RFK Jr. Wants the Government To Teach Everyone How To Cook Again
Can we trust the federal government and its ever-changing nutrition guidelines, to teach us how and what to cook?
Justice Department Subpoenas New York Times Journalists Who Reported About Trump's New Plane
The government says the reporters are not targets of the investigation, but such subpoenas can still have a chilling effect on the press.
Meet 5 of Britain's Most Unusual Election Candidates
From Count Binface to AI Steve, Britain’s novelty candidates use costumes, absurd promises, and electoral loopholes to puncture the self-importance of politics.
Border Cops Can Search Your Phone Whenever They Want, If You're Within 100 Miles of the Border
They can also search it without a warrant if you're flying abroad. Yes, even if you're an American citizen.
Trump's Tariffs Have Been Particularly Costly for Small Businesses
The Federal Reserve reports that small businesses were less likely to be able to avoid tariff costs during 2025 and are more pessimistic about employment and revenue in 2026.
How the Right to Trial Became a Legal Fiction
Half a century after approving coercive plea bargaining, the Supreme Court is beginning to recognize its costs.
Last of the Neocon 'Three Amigos': Lindsey Graham Dies Unexpectedly
The one thing Graham was consistent about was his enthusiasm for foreign wars.
First Amendment Protects Universities From Florida's Stop WOKE Act
In the U.S., government officials aren’t allowed to fight ideas they don’t like with censorship.
Photo: A New Map of the Universe
Researchers studying the history of the universe have captured the largest-ever high-resolution 3D map of the cosmos.
Andy Serkis on Animal Farm, Authoritarianism, and Humanizing Monsters
"If Orwell were writing that story now, what would his targets be?" the Animal Farm director asks Reason's Nick Gillespie.
John Fetterman Says He's 'Very Libertarian in a Lot of Ways'
The Pennsylvania senator discusses drugs, the state of the Democratic Party, and his past support for Bernie Sanders.
Dispatch From COGE: A Bureaucratic Meeting About Cutting Bureaucratic Bloat
Don't expect much from Zohran Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency.
She Came to the U.S. at 4 Months Old. She Had To Self-Deport—Because She Came Here Legally.
"Documented Dreamers" arrived in America lawfully as children. A hole in the law leaves them vulnerable to expulsion.
Sen. Mitch McConnell's Hospitalization Proves Again That Gerontocracy Sucks
McConnell is no outlier: The U.S. Senate is the oldest directly elected upper legislative chamber in the world.
If You Get Drunk and Brandish a Fake Gun in a Waymo, Don't Blame the Cameras
Firing a toy gun out of a camera-covered robotaxi while underage drinking was never going to end well.
Why Are Political Independents Less Patriotic Than Ever?
For the same reason their ranks have grown to record highs: They dislike the federal government.
States Will Soon Face Huge Penalties for Their Food Stamp Mistakes
More than $1 of every $10 in SNAP benefits went to people who didn't qualify in 2025.
Florida Police Officer Used Mass Surveillance Network to Stalk Romantic Interest
Newly published dashcam footage shows a sheriff’s deputy driving recklessly to pull over an actress he’d met while working on the set of the TV show Bad Monkey.
Before the NSA Honored Historian David Kahn, the FBI Investigated Him
Newly declassified files reveal that J. Edgar Hoover wanted to prosecute the NSA’s future scholar in residence for collecting cryptography manuals.
How Do We Feel About Women's Work?
Plus: Rampant illiteracy, teen-suicide rates and screens, and more...
Graham Platner Dropped Out, but His Shadow Lingers Over Democrats and U.S. Politics
Democrats passed over the opportunity to be the sane party in favor of bad people and worse ideas.
Review: A Chaotic History Podcast for People Who Don't Care About Historical Accuracy
On Fin vs History, two British comedians poke fun at revered historical figures.
'Scrap It and Start All Over': Ex-Bush and Obama Officials Say the War on Terror's Powers Have Gone Too Far
In a rare display of candor, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and former Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson reflected on torture, Guantanamo Bay, and the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.
Pronatalists Want To Boost Fertility With Blue Laws and Government-Enlisted Fertility Influencers
The Institute for Family Studies wants to increase America's birth rate. Some of its ideas are a little far out.
The Most Corrupt Presidency in American History, by the Numbers
Looking back through the biggest scandals in American history through the lens of Trump 2.0.
Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' Marks a Pattern of Trying To Profit From the Presidency
Since the beginning of his first term, the president has repeatedly used his office for personal gain.
Police Used a Truck Inspection To Search for Drugs. The 7th Circuit Said the Fourth Amendment Forbids It.
Cops stopped a semitruck because of a drug tip, then tried to dress the illegal search up as a routine inspection.
How a 700-Year-Old Work of Art Warns America
Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Allegory of Good and Bad Government presents a bustling city where prosperity comes from voluntary cooperation and leaders know their place.
Washington Promised Puerto Rico $14 Billion To Fix Its Grid. Most of the Money Is Still Stuck.
A new GAO report attributes the delays to onerous regulations and poor coordination among government agencies.
The Social Security Fix That Would Send Tax Rates Soaring
There are only a handful of ways to shore up Social Security. Sens. Bernie Moreno and Elizabeth Warren are backing one of the most expensive.
Rhode Island Is Regulating Grocery Checkout Lines Now
A new law requires grocery stores to keep one staffed checkout open for every three self-checkout stations.
'I Would Not Wish This on Anyone': Prisoners Fight Back Against Solitary Confinement in Oregon
A proposed class action lawsuit claims Oregon is subjecting prisoners to unconstitutional and inhumane conditions in solitary confinement.
Robert Reich's CEO Pay Chart Is Wrong. Here's the Real Math.
The former U.S. labor secretary presents economic data in deceptive ways.
Freedom Fuel?
Plus: Platner is out, so is reading, Netflix is not a monopoly, and more...
Clarence Thomas Doubled Down on Presidential Power
The conservative justice pushed for greater executive authority even in cases in which Trump won.
