H.R. 1: Cracks Appear in the Coalition
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
A report in the New York Times makes it official: election reform omnibus H.R. 1 not only places impossible burdens on local election administrators, but...
The Pro Act: An Intended Revolution in Labor Law
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
The right direction for labor law reform is to move toward more respect for freedom of contract and a federal government retrenchment...
1918: When the Feds Controlled the Conversation On A Pandemic
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the model of a marketplace of ideas in which strong arguments drive out the weak...
In Church School Hiring A Solid Win for Religious Liberty
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
The First Amendment’s free exercise clause guarantees churches the autonomy needed to pursue their religious mission. That requires solid protections of...
Religious Liberty Is Alive and Well at the U.S. Supreme Court
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Last week’s Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, interpreting employment discrimination on the basis of “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender...
The Supreme Court Should Continue to Support Arbitration
WALTER OLSON & DENNIS GARCIA, CATO INSTITUTE
One of the most important practical applications of freedom of contract in present‐day America is arbitration, which allows...
Unions Can Dispense Legal Advice. Why Can’t Trade Associations?
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
May a state prohibit a trade association from employing lawyers to dispense legal advice to member firms? Last spring the Fourth...
Nevada’s T-Mobile Deal and the State of Antitrust Law
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
T-Mobile and Sprint, the #3 and #4 wireless carriers, would like to combine so as to more effectively compete with Verizon...
HHS Moves To Lift LGBT‐Bias Funding Strings
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed to rescind some regulations issued in the final days of the Obama administration...
No, America Does Not “Need a Hate Speech Law”
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
When Establishment figures declare that they've changed their mind on free speech and now think there should be less of it,...
O’Rourke: Churches That Don’t Support Rights Should Lose Exemption
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Last night, at a CNN candidate forum on gay rights, CNN's Don Lemon asked Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke: "religious institutions like...
The Times I Met David Koch
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
People ask if I crossed paths with philanthropist David Koch, whose death is being mourned today, and the answer is yes.
When I...
The Ruins of Old Tech Monopolies
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Mar 2000: Palm Pilot IPOs at $53 billion
Sep 2006: “Everyone’s always asking me when...
House Passes Political-Omnibus Bill H.R. 1
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
H.R. 1, the political regulation omnibus bill, contains “provisions that unconstitutionally infringe the freedoms of speech and association,” and which “will...
Children and the Shadow of the Law
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Let me start with the big picture issues, where I think Diane Redleaf and I agree, and then turn to the...
Proposition 10: Rent Control in California
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Proposition 10 on the California ballot would empower local governments around the Golden State to institute more and stricter rent control....
Partisan Gerrymandering: Another Supreme Court Showdown?
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
It would have been natural to assume that partisan gerrymandering would not return as an issue to the Supreme Court until...
The Warren Plan and the History of Corporate Chartering
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s proposal for drastic changes to corporate governance, which I wrote about in this space last week, continues to draw thoughtful...
Class Action Tolling: A Good Day To Reverse the Ninth Circuit
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
Class action tolling means suspending time limits on future lawsuits while a class action suit is pending. This is distinct from class action trolling which...
The Age of Discretion, As the Post Sees It
WALTER OLSON, CATO INSTITUTE
The Washington Post editorialized last month in favor of dropping the voting age to 16. I dashed off a letter to the editor,...