Author: nick

I became a law professor in the fall of 2012. In January 2013, I attended the Federalist Society faculty conference in New Orleans. Justice Scalia was gracious enough to speak at the evening reception. His remarks stuck with me, and affect much of what I do. That speech in New Orleans was not recorded, but Justice Scalia offered similar remarks at the dedication of George Mason Law School’s new building in March 1999. Thankfully, Chris Scalia and Ed Whelan reproduced that speech in Scalia Speaks. Here is an excerpt: To the faculty: Before I became part of the problem in…

From Wednesday’s report and recommendation by Magistrate Judge David Fannin (W.D. Tex.) in Flash v. Jeff Davis County, a summary of the allegations in plaintiff’s Complaint (recall that, at this point. these are just allegations):David Flash … is an independent journalist who covers regional events and public affairs in West Texas. In September 2023, Flash’s news outlet, the Big Bend Times, published investigative news stories centered around the conduct of multiple County officials. The stories accused the officials of misusing county resources and questionable law enforcement practices. Flash faced backlash after the stories were published. Defendant Lisa Dennison, an employee…

NA Today, in In re Grand Jury Subpoenas, the US District Court for the District of Minnesota invalidated several federal grand jury subpoenas issued against Minnesota state and local government officials, including Governor Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Federal District Judge Patrick Schiltz (a Republican George W. Bush appointee) ruled that the subpoenas were part of an unconstitutional effort to coerce Minnesota state and local government’s into giving up their immigration sanctuary policies – which limit assistance to federal efforts to deport migrants. It was part of a broader effort at coercion arising from “Operation Metro Surge,” which…

The World Cup is thus far proving to be not only a smashing success for the U.S. men’s national team, but also one for consumers in American host cities like Boston. As is the case in most of America, the public consumption of alcohol in Boston is illegal. The city’s municipal code states that “no person shall drink any alcoholic beverage” or “possess an open container” of alcohol “while on, in or upon any public way,” in any place where the public has access, in any “park or playground, conservation area or recreation area,” with violations punishable by a fine…

Cybersecurity agencies in the United States and its “Five Eyes” allied nations issued a rare joint statement Monday warning that frontier AI models are expected to fundamentally transform offensive cyber capabilities within months and that adversaries may succeed in developing attacks against Western governments and companies. Signed by agency heads from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., the communiqué warned leaders they must “act now” as AI increases the “speed, scale and sophistication of cyber threats.” Subscribe Today Get daily emails in your inbox The statement urges western companies to adopt AI models to…

As President Donald Trump and the Iranian government reached a written agreement to end the war, Democrats honed in on a section that appeared to promise hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars to Iran. “With $300 billion, we could end homelessness, fund cancer research for 40 years, and give every child free pre-K for over 7 years,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in an X post. “Instead, Trump is sending it to Iran.” Trump dismissed such concerns. “There is no 300 Billion Dollar payment to Iran by the U.S.,” he said in a June 18 Truth Social post. “That’s Fake…

Impeachment is on the table if the Democrats take Congress in the November midterms, according to the party’s leadership. Still, they’re anything but irrationally exuberant about removing President Donald Trump from office. “I think it’s very likely predictable how everyone would vote,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D–Hawaii), the likely Democratic whip, grumbled to CNN’s Inside Politics on Sunday. Impeachment’s “not a panacea,” adds Rep. Jamie Raskin (D–Md.), who’d be chair of House Judiciary if the Democrats win the House; it’s “one more tool in the toolkit, and we will use it if we need to use it.” Meanwhile, Trump and his…

Knee pain is one of the most common afflictions that almost everyone expects to experience as they age. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and results from a decrease in the protective cartilage between joints. This decrease can cause joint pain, swelling, and a decreased range of motion. One of the most commonly recommended treatments for osteoarthritis in your knees is a partial meniscectomy, which involves trimming damaged sections of your meniscus cartilage. It has become one of the most popular surgeries in the world, but recent studies have revealed that this surgery might worsen your osteoarthritis instead of making…

In Jessica Riskin’s beautifully written new book, The Power of Life, with the deliberately imitative eighteenth-century style subtitle, The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, she makes a powerful heretical case, set in italics, that Lamarck was Right. To do justice to that sentence, which is indeed heretical, you need to read the entire book. It’s worth the effort, not least because Riskin writes with the vitality of a good novelist and the precision of a scientist; she is also committed to the idea along the way that the separation of science from other forms of knowledge has damaged both…

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch are joined by reporter Reem Ibrahim to discuss the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and what it reveals about the United Kingdom’s economic stagnation. The panel examines the legacy of Brexit, the rise of the self-described “business-friendly socialist” Andy Burnham, and whether the U.K.’s growing embrace of big government policies offers a warning for the United States. Next, the editors discuss the growing influence of Democratic Socialists in major American cities, including New York, Washington, and Los Angeles. They then examine Trump’s negotiations with Iran and debate whether the administration’s deal represents a…