Matthew Bernard wanted to build a home. He bought a small lot in Oakland, California, and began clearing several diseased and fallen trees that the local fire department had identified as hazards. The result was a $915,000 “mitigation fee” from the city of Oakland—nearly five times the value of the lot itself. Under Oakland’s tree ordinance,...
A decade ago, the typical Texas home value was about $181,000. Today, it’s ballooned to around $302,000. As home prices increase so too does the barrier to entry get higher. A recent study estimates it would take 7 years for a median-income Texas household to save up for a 20% down payment. But you don’t...
Toward an Office of Parental Rights in Texas: A Legal-Political-Historical Approach to the Protection of the Fundamental Rights and Duties of Parents Key points: Changing legal images of the family, constitutional disputes, and state overreach threaten parental rights as a broad, actionable claim of parents over the direction of their child’s life. The Due Process Clause...