Coronavirus price gouging shouldn’t be criminal
Laws that prevent so-called ‘price gouging,’ contrary to conventional wisdom, do little to provide relief to consumers.
HB 160: Ensuring Justice Court Judges Are Trained In The Law
This bill passed the House 44-28 and passed the Senate 24-4. Libertas Institute supports this bill. Most people who interact with the legal system do so through one of the state’s many justice courts. However, justice...
HJR1: Requiring Justice Court Judges to Be Trained in the Law
This bill has been abandoned by its sponsor and is no longer under consideration. Justice courts are not considered “courts of record” and are controlled and operated by municipalities. The legislature has previously...
Can the Government Make Laws—and Punishments—Retroactive?
“No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed.” —Utah Constitution, Article 1, Section 18 (see also Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution) A...
Crime and Punishment: Utah’s Voluminous Laws
It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood. —James Madison, Federalist 62...
Potential Court Reform in Utah
As we explained in our asset forfeiture policy analysis, “policing for profit” is a problematic element in law enforcement. Similarly, there is a concern that local justice courts in Utah can prosecute and adjudicate for profit...