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Jacob Sullum (Dec 28, 2005)
On criminal justice and national security issues, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit is widely considered the most government-friendly federal appeals court. So... more
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Jacob Sullum (Dec 21, 2005)
Members of Congress have been known to vote for legislation they haven't read. But is it possible Congress authorized warrantless wiretaps without realizing it? That's... more
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Jacob Sullum (Dec 16, 2005)
"Liberal groups like People for the American Way and the ACLU have opposed public Christmas and Hanukkah displays," says the Committee for Justice in a new radio ad... more
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Jacob Sullum (Dec 07, 2005)
Robot dogs and cloning are not the only developments anticipated in "Sleeper" that have come to pass. Near the beginning of Woody's Allen's 1973 science-fiction... more
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Jacob Sullum (Nov 23, 2005)
At my local drugstore, shelves of cold and allergy medicine have been replaced by merchandise cards hanging from metal rods. If I want to buy one of these remedies, I have to... more
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Jacob Sullum (Nov 16, 2005)
If you've gotten used to smoke-free bars, here's a new concept to wrap your mind around: smoke-free cigar lounges. This innovation comes to us courtesy of Washington state's... more
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Jacob Sullum (Nov 09, 2005)
Democrats worry that Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito will vote against a constitutional right to abortion and against an expansive view of congressional power. But if the... more
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Jacob Sullum (Oct 28, 2005)
When the House of Representatives voted to prohibit lawsuits that blame gun manufacturers for crimes committed with their products, only four Republicans opposed the bill.... more
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Jacob Sullum (Oct 22, 2005)
The Justice Department's lawsuit against the country's leading tobacco companies accuses them of "racketeering." Yet the government's lawyers are the ones behaving... more
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Jacob Sullum (Oct 14, 2005)
Harriet Miers' religious affiliation doesn't bother me, but the fact that some people find it reassuring does. This reaction by social conservatives who support her... more
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Jacob Sullum (Sep 30, 2005)
In a trial that began on Monday, Sept. 26, a federal judge in Harrisburg has been called upon to decide whether intelligent design is a legitimate scientific theory. Once he... more
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Jacob Sullum (Sep 23, 2005)
Shelley Moore Capito is worried about Hurricane Katrina's fiscal implications. "We don't want to turn rebuilding the Big Easy into the Big Dig," the Republican representative... more
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Jacob Sullum (Aug 26, 2005)
West Virginia's status as the third-fattest state, confirmed in a recent report from the Trust for America's Health, gives new meaning to the phrase "Mountain Mama" in... more
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Jacob Sullum (Aug 19, 2005)
In the 2005 movie "The Jacket," Kelly Lynch plays a drunk who burns to death after falling asleep while smoking. According to the research cited by activists who object to... more
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Jacob Sullum (Aug 12, 2005)
In addition to his ambiguous record as a lawyer and judge, Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has the benefit of opponents who seem determined to discredit themselves and... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jul 29, 2005)
On the first day of random searches in the New York City subway, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly reported that they "actually had people who came over and volunteered to... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jul 15, 2005)
Every time a new obesity study comes out, pundits latch onto it as proof that the government either should or should not take an interest in what Americans eat and how much... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jul 01, 2005)
The New York Times welcomed the Supreme Court's recent endorsement of virtually unfettered eminent domain powers as "a setback to the 'property rights' movement." The fact... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jun 24, 2005)
At a recent Capitol Hill rally against proposed cuts in government funding for public broadcasting, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., claimed to be accompanied by Clifford the Big... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jun 24, 2005)
At a recent Capitol Hill rally against proposed cuts in government funding for public broadcasting, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., claimed to be accompanied by Clifford the Big... more
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Jacob Sullum (Jun 17, 2005)
According to a new government-sponsored survey, most Americans qualify for a psychiatric diagnosis at some point in their lives. Trying to explain how so many of us became... more
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Jacob Sullum (May 06, 2005)
Critics of the Senate filibuster complain that it's undemocratic and obstructive. These are its two most appealing features. Our system of government is undemocratic and... more
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Jacob Sullum (Apr 29, 2005)
A year ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned dietary supplements containing the herbal stimulant ephedra. In a decision that was recently overturned by a federal... more
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Jacob Sullum (Mar 11, 2005)
In 1991, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was reprimanded by the Senate Ethics Committee for his "poor judgment" in meeting with federal bank regulators who were investigating... more
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Jacob Sullum (Mar 04, 2005)
The other night, upon accepting the 2005 Irving Kristol Award from the American Enterprise Institute, a bastion of inside-the-Beltway conservatism, the Peruvian novelist... more
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Jacob Sullum (Feb 25, 2005)
Judging from the concerns she expressed during oral arguments in Kelo v. New London, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is not inclined to impose limits on the ability of local... more
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Jacob Sullum (Feb 06, 2005)
The loudest objections from Democrats during President Bush's State of the Union address came when he declared that if Congress fails to reform Social Security, "the entire... more