Research Brief
Law & Public Safety
Law & Public Safety
Through research and policy proposals, Locke supports the protection of the public and the right to self-defense. Unfortunately, issues like overcriminalization and asset seizure have caused public safety to stray from that vital responsibility.
Research Brief
Law & Public Safety
Supreme Court Case Shows the Need for Donor Privacy Laws
The General Assembly recently passed Senate Bill (SB) 416, the “Personal Privacy Protection Act,” which contains important measures to protect the privacy of those who donate to nonprofit organizations. Gov. Josh Stein…
Law & Public Safety
Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the Supreme Court’s worst decisions ever: Kelo v. City of New London
Eminent domain refers to the government’s power to take land from property owners without the owners’ consent. The Takings Clause, which appears in the Fifth Amendment to the United States…
Law & Public Safety
Deja vu all over again?
I hope I’m wrong, but the anti-ICE riots in LA and other cities are distrubingly similar to the anti-police riots that did so much harm in 2020. With that in…
Research Brief
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Discussing some overlooked aspects of Trump’s tariff defeat
On May 28, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled in favor of the challengers in two cases challenging some of President Donald Trump’s tariff…
Law & Public Safety
Why won’t the Supreme Court enforce its Second Amendment precedents?
So-called “assault weapons,” including particularly AR-15s and similar lightweight semiautomatic rifles, have long been the target of gun control legislation. As I have explained in the past, the Supreme Court’s 2008…
Research Brief
Law & Public Safety
Why NC should eliminate judicial deference to state agencies
When there is a dispute between a citizen and an administrative agency, a legal doctrine known as judicial deference requires courts to “defer” to the latter’s interpretation of the law…
Law & Public Safety
“Fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations”
That’s the title of an executive order recently issued by President Trump. Compared to tariffs and donated airplanes, it didn’t get much media coverage, but it should have. The order is a…
Research Brief
Law & Public Safety
Nondelegation and the separation of powers: What they mean for Trump’s tariffs
President Donald Trump has ignited a firestorm with his ever-shifting tariff edicts. He imposed wild new tariffs by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). But the IEEPA does…
Research Brief
Law & Public Safety
Should driver’s licenses be revoked over unpaid fines or failure to appear?
Every year, hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians are charged with motor vehicle offenses. Most of those charges are resolved in a straightforward way. The offender appears at the courthouse,…
Research Brief
Law & Public Safety
Twenty years after Kelo, will North Carolina finally join Florida and Virginia at the top of the eminent domain honor roll?
For readers unfamiliar with the phrase, “eminent domain” refers to the government’s power to take private property without the owner’s consent. For centuries, it was generally assumed that this power…
Research Brief
Law & Public Safety
A guide to the birthright citizenship debate
Under English common law, citizenship was determined by where one was born. That principle, which was known as “jus soli” or “law of the soil,” became the norm throughout the…
Law & Public Safety
Constitutional Carry
Introduction Twenty-nine states now allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms without a permit. North Carolina is not yet one of them, but there are many reasons to hope it will…