Crime
The City of Portland, Oregon has an ordinance banning plastic straws. It has something to do with sea turtles. The ordinance has an exception, though. Plastic straws are allowed in “harm-reduction kits” handed out to drug users. Apparently, just like paper straws are crappy for drinking water, they are also crappy for snorting heroin. What happens when the sea turtles start eating the heroin tainted plastic straws?
Conservatism and the legal profession
Lawyers tend to be more liberal than the general population. Further, the larger the law firm, the more liberal the lawyers in the firm tend to be. This finding has been confirmed by multiple studies. In one recent study, published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, University of Notre Dame law professor, Derek Muller, analyzed pro bono amicus briefs to detect the political leanings of law firms. Pro bono amicus briefs are a good proxy for political beliefs attributable to law firms because the firms do not get paid to write them. Such briefs are more like a marketing tool signaling the institutional values of the firms. Muller reviewed 851 briefs. He found that 64% supported the liberal position, 31% supported the conservative position, and 5% were neutral. Muller’s study next ranked the amicus briefs from most controversial to the least controversial issues. Muller found that with the most controversial political issues, such as abortion rights and gun rights, 95% of large law firms supported the liberal position and 5% supported the conservative position. You can read Muller’s study here.
Freedom
A recent article in The Free Press reports on the rollback of DEI bureaucracies in institutions across the country. The State of Florida recently barred state funding of DEI programs. Texas has banned DEI programs altogether. Oklahoma’s Governor recently signed an executive order banning DEI offices in all state agencies. Utah is following suit. Something similar is happening in state university systems. The University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill board of governors has banned compelled speech within the state university system—meaning that students and faculty will no longer be forced to sign statements extolling values they disagree with. State university systems in other states, such as Missouri, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia, are taking these actions, as well. All positive steps. You can read The Free Press article here.