A biweekly newsletter on constitutional law, all the big Supreme Court rulings, and American history from Reason and Damon Root.
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Damon Root is a senior editor at Reason and the author of two books: A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution and Overruled: The Long War for Control of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Reason exists outside of the left/right echo chamber. Our goal is to deliver fresh, unbiased information and insights to our readers, viewers, and listeners every day.
A weekly newsletter from Reason columnist J.D. Tuccille on core LIBERTY issues such as government overreach and tangible threats to individual freedom.
J.D. Tuccille is a former managing editor of Reason.com and current contributing editor. Having started his online career in the days of proprietary online services, and seen them swept away by the Internet, he's a believer in the liberating and transformative power of new media.
Tuccille has worked for ZDNet, the New York Daily News, and forgotten dot-coms and dot-orgs. For years, he edited the late, lamented Freedom News Daily for the equally mourned Free-Market.Net. His provocative and often witty (says he) columns on topics including civil liberties and government overreach have appeared in publications including the Arizona Republic, the Denver Post and the Washington Times.
He is also the author of the comic-adventure novel, High Desert Barbecue, which reviewers have kindly described as "fun," "a very polished novel" and "filled with likable characters, tons of humor, and a nice sprinkling of libertarianism throughout."
An enthusiastic explorer of the American Southwest's deserts, mountains, and forests, Tuccille resides in rural northern Arizona.
High Liquor Taxes and a Home Distillation Ban Guarantee a Thriving Booze Black Market
n January, police in Alabama arrested a Florida man (yeah, that guy) for allegedly transporting 81 gallons of moonshine. He certainly isn't the only player in that business. Bootlegging has a long and storied history in the United States. In a country that has a love/hate/really love relationship with alcoholic beverages, innovative entrepreneurs seeking to evade high taxes on distilled spirits illegally manufacture the stuff for sale, and the authorities justify a ban on home distillation in the name of collecting those taxes. People also smuggle from low-tax to high-tax states. The result is a game of cat-and-mouse that gave us legendary figures. It even inspired customized smuggling vehicles that inspired NASCAR racing...
5.27.2026
Government officials are always eager to bind us in red tape; it's rare that they cut the stuff. It's a special treat when an agency as obnoxious as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives rolls back any sort of restrictions, but that's what it's doing with regulatory revisions that will, overall, ease the burden of regulations on gun owners and firearms dealers. There's nothing groundbreaking in the proposed rules changes, but any relief is welcome relief...
Surveillance Tools Intended for Border Control Are Being Used Against Americans
President Donald Trump's doubts about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) date back at least to the 1980s, when he took out full-page newspaper ads questioning the value of defending prosperous allies capable of paying for their own security. So, when he voices frustration with the alliance and the lack of support among its members for the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran's theocratic regime, it's not a new development. What's new is growing disenchantment with NATO among Americans, led by the president's Republican supporters.
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With gasoline averaging about $4.50 per gallon—over six bucks if you're unlucky enough to live in California—President Donald Trump proposes a gas tax holiday to give American consumers a bit of relief. A reprieve from taxes is always welcome, but the real bite isn't the federal 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents on each gallon of diesel fuel. States charge far more, and that's especially true if you rent a car, with gas taxes the least of the problem. In some places, more than half the tab for car rentals comes from taxes and government-mandated fees...
5.18.2026
5.8.2026
5.6.2026
It goes without saying that any tool or power government acquires for addressing some crisis of the moment will eventually—often, almost immediately—be deployed against the general public. So it is with border enforcement and the crackdown on immigrants. Surveillance technology ostensibly intended for the enforcement of laws regulating migration is being turned against Americans...
Led by Republicans, Americans' Support for NATO Fades
4.22.2026
More About J.D. Tuccille
Taxes and Government Fees Make Up 25 Percent of Car Rental Fees
ATF Rule Changes Could Ease Restrictions for Gun Owners and Dealers