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Appeals Court Rules Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that California's ban on same-sex marriage -- enacted in 2008 in a popular vote on Proposition 8 -- violates the constitutional right to equal protection. Cato's chairman
Robert A. Levy, also co-chair of the advisory board to the American Foundation for Equal Rights (which sponsored the suit) comments: "[It's] a narrow but important step in the right direction. But it does not settle the more significant question whether states may grant benefits to heterosexual couples while granting less or no benefits to homosexual couples."
Hill Briefing: President Obama's 2013 Budget
The Obama administration is scheduled to release its FY2013 federal budget this month. The budget is likely to include high levels of spending, huge deficits, and various tax increases. Which federal agencies would win and lose under the plan, and how would the tax and spending changes affect the economy? Will Democrats in Congress embrace the administration's proposals, and do House Republicans have a better plan? How will the scheduled "sequester" cuts affect the budget picture? Join us for a discussion with Cato fiscal experts, who will explore the new budget and the upcoming fiscal battles in Congress.
COMMENTARY 
NEW! Highway Robbery by Republicans, by Michael Tanner. Anyone still wondering why there is a disconnect between grassroots limited-government conservatives and the Washington establishment need look no farther than the latest highway bill currently making its way through Congress with support from Republican leaders in both houses.The Senate version, SB 1813, would cost $109 billion over two years. The House bill, HR 7, which runs to 847 pages of pork and special-interest projects, raises the price tag to $260 billion, but extends it over five years, making it a couple billion cheaper on a year-by-year basis.
NEW! Never Let Law Profs Near the Oval Office, by Gene Healy. "Surely as a former constitutional law professor, President Obama must know..." -- that's a fairly common refrain whenever Obama commits another constitutional atrocity. I've said as much myself -- but as a recovering law student, I should know better. Constitutional law professors should be kept as far away from nuclear weapons as possible.
DAILY PODCAST
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NEW! Obama Proposes Higher Ed Price Control, featuring Neal McCluskey (7:57)
Decoding New Unemployment Numbers, featuring Mark A. Calabria (5:24)
Congressional Budgeters' Rosy Outlook, featuring Chris Edwards (6:27)
BLOG HIGHLIGHTS - Bernanke's Anti-Stimulus
NEW! On Cato@Liberty, Mark Calabria writes: "One of the direct results of the Federal Reserve’s zero interest rate policies has been a massive reduction in interest income going to households. Since 2008, household interest income has fallen by about $400 billion annually. That’s $400 billion each year that families have not had to spend. Now of course you can also argue that families interest expenses have also fallen, and that would be true, but that just serves to illustrate that much of monetary policy is not about creating wealth, but re-distributing it. Since interest payments are one’s person expense and another’s income, Fed driven changes in the interest rate should not increase household income in the aggregate." To read more, check out Calabria's full post.
MEDIA HIGHLIGHT
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NEW! Glenn Greenwald discusses the success of Portugal's
drug decriminalization experiment (13:58)
RECENT PAPERS, TESTIMONY, & LEGAL BRIEFS
NEW! Fixing Mortgage Finance: What to Do with the Federal Housing Administration, by Mark A. Calabria (February 6, 2012)
NEW! Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, legal brief by Ilya Shapiro and Anastasia Killian (February 3, 2012)
NEW! Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance From Citizens, by Clayton E. Cramer and David Burnett (February 2, 2012)
Morgan v. Swanson, legal brief by Ilya Shapiro (January 26, 2012)
Renewing Federalism by Reforming Article V: Defects in the Constitutional Amendment Process and a Reform Proposal, by Michael Rappaport (January 18, 2012)
Florida v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, legal brief by Timothy Sandefur, Ilya Shapiro and Trevor Burrus, (January 17, 2012)
National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, legal brief by Richard A. Epstein, Ilya Shaprio and Trevor Burrus (January 6, 2012)
Harris v. Quinn, legal brief by Ilya Shapiro and Trevor Burrus (January 4, 2012)
BOOKS AND PERIODICALS
NEW! Cato Policy Report (January/February 2012), with articles on the growth of government, the global Drug War, monetary policy and the state of Social Security.
Cato Journal (Winter 2012), with articles on the economics and demographics of immigration, the current U.S. immigration system and efforts to either enforce or reform it.
Regulation (Winter 2011), with articles on patent excesses, net neutrality and the EPA.
Cato Papers on Public Policy (Winter 2011), with articles on current and critical economic and public policy issues.
Cato Policy Report (November/December 2011), with articles on Occupy Wall Street, federal spending cuts, technology and the fourth amendment.
Economic Freedom of the World: 2011 Annual Report, by
James Gwartney, Joshua Hall, and Robert Lawson with contributions from Jean-Pierre Chauffour and Michael D. Stroup
Cato 2011 State Legislative Guide (May 2011)
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