Stories

While several states continue to make inroads on civil asset forfeiture reform and thus limit law enforcement’s ability to seize private property, state reforms can often be circumvented by the federal equitable sharing program. Under equitable sharing, the federal government litigates state forfeiture cases in return for 20 percent of the proceeds, with the remaining funds […]

Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has argued repeatedly that debts and deficits pose the greatest threat to our national security. The national debt currently stands at $18 trillion, and the federal government has been running budget deficits for well over a decade. One significant contributor to the rapid growth […]

“For most missions we have today,” argued Benjamin Friedman, “we have more than enough nukes.” Friedman, a research fellow in defense and homeland security studies at the Cato Institute, was speaking to a crowd at Stand Together Trust’s Nuclear Modernization: The Future of Deterrence event in Washington, DC, on April 26. Friedman was joined by […]

“Perpetuating the War for the Greater Middle East is not enhancing American freedom, abundance, and security,” argues Andrew Bacevich in his newest book, America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History. “If anything,” he continues, “it is having the opposite effect.” This is far from a noncontroversial statement. So what does Bacevich mean? […]

On April 19, 2016, the Charles Koch Foundation was a proud sponsor of the Newseum’s inaugural Free Expression Awards. The Newseum, an institution dedicated to educating the public on First Amendment freedoms, honored three individuals and one group for their dedication to the freedoms of speech, the press, religion, and artistic expression. New York Times […]

Modern free trade agreements are an increasingly complex mix of competing priorities. Among the topics they address are environmental standards, labor protections, intellectual property rights, and dispute resolutions—not to mention the relaxation of trade barriers. Due to the scope of these agreements, it is all but assured that everyone can find something to dislike and […]

On Tuesday, Nebraska abolished the practice of civil asset forfeiture after Governor Pete Ricketts signed a bill that passed by a wide margin through Nebraska’s state legislature. The new law requires a criminal conviction before property can be seized and limits the set of crimes for which people can have their cash, vehicles, firearms, or […]

While a majority of Americans are able to correctly name freedom of speech as a right protected by the First Amendment, the amendment’s other clauses are less well known, with only one in 10 individuals able to name freedom of the press as a specific right. Although it is not as widely reviewed or discussed […]

Retired Johnson City, Kansas, sheriff Currie Myers is no stranger to the rule of law. Formerly a special agent to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and a task force agent for the U.S. Customs Service and Drug Enforcement Administration, Myers has come face to face with his share of convicted criminals. However, Myers has also […]

April 5 marks the birthday of Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), founder of the Tuskegee Institute (presently known as Tuskegee University) and adviser to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Growing up and working toward an education during Reconstruction, Booker T. Washington embodied the idea that social uplift is best achieved through economic self-determination, a […]