Government’s attorney argues first graders deserve less protection due to age...
[link removed]
THE DOCKET
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for future updates
[link removed]
.
Third-generation farmer challenges FWS’s power grab; Ninth Circuit hears arguments over first grader’s free speech rights in “any life” drawing case; and a new report sheds light on California and other states’ excessive impact fees.
HERE'S WHAT'S ON THE DOCKET.
[link removed]
North Dakota farmer challenges massive federal power grab in prairie pothole dispute
[link removed]
On Tuesday, third-generation North Dakota farmer Cody Peterson filed a federal lawsuit—represented free of charge by Pacific Legal Foundation—challenging the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s reinterpretation of decades-old conservation easements.
The FWS’s sudden decision to reinterpret a more-than-50-year-old agreement—exerting its control over millions of acres of private property—is not only wrong; it’s blatantly unconstitutional. Cody’s fighting back to ensure the federal government keeps its word, and we’re proud to have taken on his case.
Read More →
[link removed]
Judge offers a sharp rebuke of government’s argument in free speech case over first grader’s drawing
[link removed]
On Wednesday, PLF attorneys delivered oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a case about a six-year-old’s First Amendment rights over an allegedly “racist” drawing she gave to a classmate.
Inspired by a recent lesson she received on the Civil Rights Movement, our client (a minor who we’ll refer to as “B.B.”) drew a picture of children holding hands, with the phrases “Black Lives Mater (sic)” and “any life,” and then gave it to a fellow classmate. B.B. would later be admonished by her elementary school principal, banned from recess, and forbidden from drawing pictures for friends.
Read More →
[link removed]
[link removed]
The president doesn’t have the power to set tariffs—Congress does, and it should reassert its authority
[link removed]
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution explicitly grants Congress the power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.” Tariffs, as a tax on imports, fall squarely within this provision.
Despite this clear constitutional mandate, in recent decades, various statutes have been used to justify presidential tariff actions under the guise of national security or economic emergency. PLF’s Oliver Dunford and Kyle Griesinger argue that this kind of executive overreach is an unconstitutional misuse of emergency powers in trade policy.
Read More →
[link removed]
California has the highest impact fees for homebuilding in the country
[link removed]
When property owners apply for building permits, they’re often required to pay impact fees: charges meant to offset the strain new buildings have on public resources like roads, sewers, schools, and parks.
However, some local governments set impact fees that are excessively high or go far beyond the actual impact of a proposed project. PLF’s Kyle Sweetland shares insights from our latest report outlining the prevalence of these fees across the country—especially in California—and how they’re inextricably linked to America’s housing crisis.
Read More →
[link removed]
Supreme Court urged to restore Fourth Amendment protections to data shared with ‘third party’ service providers
[link removed]
Last week, PLF attorneys filed an amicus brief in support of James Harper, an American Coinbase customer who discovered that his data—and 14,000 other customers’ data—was illegally obtained by the Internal Revenue Service through a warrantless, dragnet subpoena.
PLF litigation fellow Amy Peikoff, one of the authors of our brief, explains the significance of James’ case and why we’re hopeful that the Supreme Court will grant review.
Read More →
[link removed]
SUPPORT OUR MISSION
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
Copyright © 2025 Pacific Legal Foundation, All rights reserved.
[link removed]
Pacific Legal Foundation
555 Capitol Mall, Suite 1290
Sacramento, CA 95814
[link removed]
No longer want to receive this email? Manage your preferences here
[link removed]
.
