Showing archive for: “US Constitution”
Trimming the Sails of the Administrative State
In the wake of the recent OIO decision, separation of powers issues should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. In reaching its decision, the DC Circuit relied upon Chevron to justify its extreme deference to the FCC. The court held, for instance, that Our job is to ensure that an agency has acted “within ... Trimming the Sails of the Administrative State
Fracking, the Separation of Powers, Economic Welfare, and the Role of the Public (Or Mirabile Dictu! An Obama-Appointed Federal Judge Who Believes in the Separation of Powers)
An interesting thing happened on June 21st. Scott Skavdahl, a federal district court judge appointed by President Barack Obama, invalidated the “Fracking Rule” adopted by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Even more interesting, however, was the fact that, in so holding, the judge relied heavily on a rather dusty, moth-eaten eighteenth century ... Fracking, the Separation of Powers, Economic Welfare, and the Role of the Public (Or Mirabile Dictu! An Obama-Appointed Federal Judge Who Believes in the Separation of Powers)
Robust Patent and Copyright Systems Promote a Strong U.S. Economy – and Are Consistent with Originalist Understandings of the Constitution
In a Heritage Foundation Legal Memorandum released today, I explore both the “constitutionalist” as well as utilitarian, economic-welfare-oriented justifications for robust U.S. patent and copyright systems. The Memorandum explains: Intellectual property (IP) is increasingly important to the American private economy, and a discussion of the appropriate public policy toward IP is timely, particularly given the ... Robust Patent and Copyright Systems Promote a Strong U.S. Economy – and Are Consistent with Originalist Understandings of the Constitution
Welcome guest blogger David Olson
I’m delighted to announce that David Olson will be guest blogging at Truth on the Market this summer. David is an Associate Professor at Boston College Law School. He teaches antitrust, patents, and intellectual property law. Professor Olson’s writing has been cited in Supreme Court and other legal opinions. Olson came to Boston College from Stanford ... Welcome guest blogger David Olson
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Reforms Needed to Promote Path-Breaking Biopharmaceutical Innovation
Yesterday the Heritage Foundation published a Legal Memorandum, in which I explain the need for the reform of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, in order to promote path-breaking biopharmaceutical innovation. Highlights of this Legal Memorandum are set forth below. In recent decades, U.S. and foreign biopharmaceutical companies (makers of drugs that are based ... U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Reforms Needed to Promote Path-Breaking Biopharmaceutical Innovation
The Constitutionally-Challenged Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Now Directly Challenges the Lawful and Welfare-Enhancing Pay-Day Lending Industry
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is, to say the least, a controversial agency. As documented by such experts as Scalia Law School Professor Todd Zywicki, the CFPB imposes enormous costs on consumers and financial service providers through costly and unwarranted command-and-control regulation. Furthermore, as I explained in a February 2016 Heritage Foundation legal memorandum, ... The Constitutionally-Challenged Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Now Directly Challenges the Lawful and Welfare-Enhancing Pay-Day Lending Industry
The Essential Facility of Obama’s Competition Policy
It appears that White House’s zeal for progressive-era legal theory has … progressed (or regressed?) further. Late last week President Obama signed an Executive Order that nominally claims to direct executive agencies (and “strongly encourages” independent agencies) to adopt “pro-competitive” policies. It’s called Steps to Increase Competition and Better Inform Consumers and Workers to Support ... The Essential Facility of Obama’s Competition Policy
Rationally Defeating Cronyism in the Boston TNC Suit
On March 31, a federal judge gave the city of Boston six months to rectify the disparities between the way it treats Transportation Network Companies (“TNC”) (such as Uber and Lyft) and taxicab companies. This comes pursuant to an order by US District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton in a suit filed by members of ... Rationally Defeating Cronyism in the Boston TNC Suit
George Mason University School of Law to be Renamed “Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University”
I am sharing the press release below: George Mason University receives $30 million in gifts, renames School of Law after Justice Antonin Scalia Largest combined gift in university’s history will support new scholarship programs Arlington, VA— George Mason University today announces pledges totaling $30 million to the George Mason University Foundation to support the School ... George Mason University School of Law to be Renamed “Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University”
Justice Scalia, Monopolization, and Economic Efficiency
The late Justice Antonin Scalia’s magisterial contributions to American jurisprudence will be the source of numerous learned analyses over the coming months. As in so many other doctrinal areas, Justice Scalia’s opinions contributed importantly to the sound development of antitrust law, and, in particular, to the assessment of monopolization. His oft-cited 2004 opinion for the ... Justice Scalia, Monopolization, and Economic Efficiency
Heritage Antitrust Conference Highlights Domestic and International Policy Challenges for the Next Administration
On January 26 the Heritage Foundation hosted a one-day conference on “Antitrust Policy for a New Administration.” Featured speakers included three former heads of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division (DOJ) (D.C. Circuit Senior Judge Douglas Ginsburg, James Rill, and Thomas Barnett) and a former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (keynote ... Heritage Antitrust Conference Highlights Domestic and International Policy Challenges for the Next Administration
In Cuozzo Speed Technologies v. Lee, Supreme Court Will Have the Chance to Clarify that Patents are not Second Class Property Rights
On January 15, the Supreme Court agreed to review the Federal Circuit’s decision in Cuozzo Speed Technologies v. Lee, a case that raises the question of whether patent rights, once issued initially by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Patent Office (PTO), are to be treated as fully legitimate interests or instead as “second class citizens” ... In Cuozzo Speed Technologies v. Lee, Supreme Court Will Have the Chance to Clarify that Patents are not Second Class Property Rights
