RealClearPolicy Articles

Imagine you’re in a lawsuit but unbeknownst to you, a hedge fund halfway around the world is calling the shots for the plaintiffs. You offer a reasonable settlement. The plaintiffs seem to be satisfied but then are forced to reject it because a litigation funder - maybe a foreign government’s sovereign wealth fund - told them to do so. If that sounds far-fetched, then you should know that it is happening right now in courtrooms across America.  Third-party litigation...

After the longest government shutdown in modern history, the House is finally back in session. Unfortunately, one of its first orders of business appears to be siding with Big Tech over small inventors.This week, the House Judiciary Committee will mark up the Litigation Transparency Act. The bill is being sold as a measure to promote honesty and transparency in the courts. In reality, it would make it far more difficult for small businesses to hold corporate giants accountable when their technology is deliberately stolen. That’s a direct threat to the innovation that keeps the U.S....

The death penalty is in the news. The vicious murder of Ukrainian war refugee Iryna Zarutska and political pundit Charlie Kirk has citizens calling for retribution. For much of my political life, I supported the death penalty. As a conservative activist, my instinct was to affirm the rule of law, to insist on accountability, and to recognize society’s right to execute those who commit the most heinous crimes. The death penalty, I believed, was a just response to cold-blooded murder. In recent years, upon much reflection, I have changed my position. I can no longer support the death...

As states from Texas to California debate and vote on new electoral maps, Americans are both learning about – and often disgusted by – the scale of gerrymandering in their states. The result is that many voters – from both parties – don’t feel represented in Washington, DC. Surveys show that four out of five believe elected officials do not care what people like them think. Seven in ten believe half or more of the government is corrupt. Two-thirds feel they have no voice at all. These are not just feelings of frustration, they are symptoms of a structural flaw in...

The recent gambling-related arrest of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier sent shockwaves throughout the world of basketball sports fandom. Rozier is accused of telling his childhood friend that he would fake an injury and leave a March 23, 2023, game in the first quarter, allowing the friend to sell this insider tip to bettors who then profited from wagers on Rozier's performance. The scandal provides ammunition for critics who view the legalization of sports betting as a Pandora’s Box that has compromised the integrity of sporting events. However, these arguments overlook the fact...

There is a reckoning in Washington and across the nation over the power of large institutions — and the ways in which they have too often protected themselves at the expense of the vulnerable. For decades, entities such as churches, schools, foster care systems, and juvenile justice institutions have shielded abusers, silenced survivors, and evaded legal and reputational accountability. True healing for survivors of childhood sexual abuse begins only when their voices are heard in court and justice is served. Lawmakers now bear the responsibility to ensure those voices are not silenced...

The red wolf is a ghost of the Southeast. A long‑legged predator that once roamed from Texas to the Atlantic Coast, only a small number survive in the wild today, the result of a decades-long reintroduction effort among swamps and pine forests of eastern North Carolina. The endangered canines are shy and rarely seen, but their presence sparks deep controversy. Now, environmental groups are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in an effort to declare this struggling reintroduced population “essential” to the species’ survival. On the surface, how to label...

Civil courts were established to resolve disputes and restore the parties as close as possible to the same position they would have been without the case being considered.  In other words, the party that was harmed should be made whole.  But across the country, this system of justice is becoming less about helping victims and more about lining the pockets of trial lawyers and local governments. Too often, the communities and individuals most affected see little relief, while those who bring the lawsuits walk away with millions. Public nuisance lawsuits,...

When I co-founded With Honor in 2017 with U.S. Marine Corps veteran Peter Dixon and the late David Gergen, a longtime presidential advisor and U.S. Navy veteran, we shared a simple but powerful truth: that one way to heal America’s growing partisanship, especially in Congress, was to elect more principled veterans. David often pointed to leaders like Senators Daniel Inouye and Bob Dole, both Army veterans of WWII, as reminders of what’s possible when our civic culture is strong and our leaders work across divides. “On the whole,” he wrote, “that generation raised...

College athletes have entered a golden age where they are compensated for participating in a competition which produces hundreds of millions, if not more, in profits for colleges. The Supreme Court, in the NCAA v. Alston case, decided in 2021, certain restrictions on compensation for college athletes violated anti-trust law.  The case allowed states to create parameters for student athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL). Furthermore, colleges are now permitted to share a portion of their profits off media contracts with participating athletes. There are competing...

Past Administrations have not done enough to promote clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels like nuclear energy. U.S. nuclear power has long been stalled by excessive regulations and the false assumption that new laws or authorities were needed to move faster. President Trump’s January declaration of a National Energy Emergency, followed by four executive orders in May, created the strongest federal mandate for nuclear deployment in U.S. history. Together, they sent a powerful message and equipped the U.S. with every tool it needs to accelerate deployments of new reactors. Recent...

Beef prices in America are at record highs. Since February of 2020, the cost of both ground beef and steak has risen by more than 50% –  leaving many Americans worried about the affordability of a basic food staple. As a result, the President himself told cattle ranchers last month to “get their prices down.” To be fair, part of the problem is structural. Recent drought has saddled ranchers with higher feed costs that discourage them from raising new cattle and instead encourage them to liquidate their herds. Rebuilding takes time. But when prices are high,...

With support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement cresting at unprecedented levels in the United States, those who value Israel continuing as a Jewish state should have no illusions with respect to that movement's goals. The normalization of BDS has been gradual but reached an inflection point with the Gaza war. The movement went from being supported in campus newspaper editorials to wide ranging and ever growing academic, artistic and athletic boycotts. These actions have further expanded to economic and weapons boycotts.  The goals of BDS, in addition to seeking an end to...

As Indiana’s 43rd Attorney General, I focused on protecting Hoosiers from threats to their safety and prosperity, whether from domestic crime or foreign economic incursion. Thus, I have been troubled by recent assertions in some academic and policy circles that President Trump’s tariffs and the Jones Act are burdening Hawaii’s residents with high costs for essentials like groceries and fuel.  Some have argued that Hawaii’s geographic isolation and reliance on imports justify loosening federal trade protections to allow the Aloha State unfettered access...

Poor coal – its time has come.  What was once an irreplaceable driver of the industrial revolution is now a sad, worn out, and toxic industry that has been surpassed in every category by 21st C clean energy technologies that don’t kill people or destroy our planet as a byproduct.  Coal is dying – and while we can honor its historic past, we should all be doing our very best to euthanize it as quickly as possible. Yet not everyone is on board with this plan. On Nov 27, 2024, Texas AG Ken Paxton and a coalition of 10 other Republican attorneys general filed a...

The United States should not be subsidizing its own decline. Congress has a chance—indeed, a duty—to correct one of the great follies of modern trade and energy policy. It must stop sending American taxpayer dollars to enrich foreign conglomerates that flout our laws, undercut our workers, and bankroll our adversaries. Under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed on July 4, 2025, lawmakers wisely fortified the Inflation Reduction Act to block clean-energy subsidies from flowing to “foreign entities of concern.” It’s time to take the next...

President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill and America’s AI Action Plan represent a rare convergence of legislative momentum and technological vision. Together, they are catalysts for reshaping how agencies serve citizens, how operations adapt to modern demands, and how America strengthens its competitive edge globally. This historic combination offers a chance to transform vision into execution at a scale not seen in decades. What stands before us now is more than the promise of modernization; it is the test of how quickly and effectively agencies deliver. By...

President Trump began his second term with bold steps to rein in bloated federal bureaucracy and restore accountability across government. Early in 2025, the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency identified serious, longstanding issues within the IRS. Recent staffing reductions mark a promising first step but turning around an agency with a deep history of mismanagement, harassment, and political targeting will require focused reform. The IRS has executed overly aggressive enforcement actions directed at taxpayers, families, and businesses for decades. Under the Biden...

Eight months into Donald Trump’s second term, public opinion still judges his presidency by what happens at the checkout counter. Gas prices, grocery bills, and mortgage rates have become the shorthand for the economy’s health. That’s understandable — it’s the pain people feel first. But while most of Middle America measures success in dollars and cents, Trump’s economic team has been focused on something less visible but far more consequential: rebuilding America’s long-term economic sovereignty. Polls show Americans remain fixated on short-term...