Cato Institute Event Videos (Full)

Four years ago, in Sackett v. EPA (2012), the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the EPA's effort to deny judicial review of its determination that a rural lot where an Idaho couple was building their home was a federal wetland. The Army Corps of Engineers makes tens of thousands of similar wetlands determinations each year under the Clean Water Act (CWA), but it claims that Sackett doesn't apply because these determinations are legally different from the EPA's orders. On March 30, the Supreme Court will hear argument in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co. to decide whether landowners have access to court to challenge agency rulings that their property contains wetlands that are subject to federal regulation. While 30 states are now suing to overturn the newest CWA rule expanding power over "waters of the United States," invalidating that rule won't change existing federal control over individual landowners if the agencies continue to assert similarly overbroad authority. What recourse do landowners have when federal agencies decide that private property contains wetlands? According to the Obama administration, landowners first must spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and many years seeking a permit from the same officials who may not have the proper regulatory authority to begin with. The Supreme Court rejected that approach in Sackett. A win for Hawkes here would provide much broader relief from abusive agency rulings and procedures.

Libertarians and conservatives held high hopes for a return to limited, constitutional government and fiscal responsibility with the arrival of the Tea Party movement in 2008 and 2009. Today, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are making credible runs for the White House. What happened? Was the commitment to Founding Era principles weakly held, after all? Join us on March 10th at 4 p.m. for a discussion about what, exactly, happened to the Tea Party. Ask your questions to the panel using the hashtag #CatoConnects.

Since Milton Friedman, school choice proponents have argued that vouchers and other private choice programs would improve student performance, and nearly every “gold-standard” study has found they do – until now. Recent studies of Louisiana’s voucher program have found that it actually reduced students’ performance on standardized tests. Why? In this forum top experts will discuss several possible reasons for this, including the role of various regulations, and will debate what the body of research says about how to design choice policies. We hope you’ll join us for this crucial conversation.

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has conducted a number of humanitarian interventions. Following the UN’s enshrinement of the “responsibility to protect,” and in the midst of ongoing international instability, Washington is bound to face pressure to perform more such operations. Given that likelihood, policymakers need standards for deciding when to intervene abroad. In his new book, Michael Doyle provides a sophisticated analysis of the circumstances in which moral and security considerations supersede the norm of state sovereignty and justify foreign intervention. Building on John Stuart Mill’s 1859 essay “A Few Words on Non-intervention,” Doyle argues that the default principle of non-intervention should only be overridden in grave situations following multilateral deliberation. Please join us for an engaging discussion.

In the past, the European Union was seen as a force for economic liberalization. Brussels broke down many barriers to the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital. As such, the EU was credited with growing prosperity and stability on the continent. In recent decades, however, the EU became synonymous with unwieldy bureaucracy and overregulation. Today, many see the EU as a source of Europe’s problems, including slow growth, high unemployment, and rising social tensions. The "Index of Liberalization," published by the Italian think tank Instituto Bruno Leoni, identifies barriers to entry in key economic sectors across the EU. Massimiliano Trovato will present the latest data and discuss the role that Brussels is playing, and fails to play, in returning the EU to a path of growth.

In 1792 James Madison, the principal author of the Constitution, wrote that “Government is instituted to protect property of every sort.” But from the 20th century on the Supreme Court has upheld one inroad after another on the property rights of Americans, culminating in the notorious Kelo decision of 2005, which upheld the city of New London, Connecticut’s transfer of Suzette Kelo’s home to a private developer. That prompted Cato to publish, six months later, Timothy Sandefur’s Cornerstone of Liberty, a detailed account of the demise of property rights in America. Perhaps the Court was listening, because since then it has issued a number of rulings that give hope that the tide may be turning. At least, we have now a full update of Tim’s first book, coauthored this time with his wife Christina, which throws the gauntlet down again before the Court. Please join us for what should be a spirited discussion of the state of property rights in America today.

Five U.S. states either permit aid in dying or are poised to do so shortly. Several others are considering legislation and/or court judgments that may find in favor of it in various ways. Yet the ethical questions surrounding aid in dying run deep, as even its advocates must admit: Is the choice to hasten a terminally ill patient’s death ever an ethical one? If so, what legal safeguards may be necessary? How do proponents answer charges that aid in dying will result in elder abuse, the degradation of the value of life, and the risk of a slippery slope toward premeditated killing? As with those of many other political persuasions, libertarians may be divided on this issue. Yet it remains important to us, as to all others. Serious questions about individual autonomy and self-ownership are involved here no matter which side is in the right.

For thousands of years, farmers used selective breeding to produce more plentiful harvests and increase the usefulness of domesticated animals. Today, genetic engineering allows businesses to do the same—but more cheaply, precisely and speedily. Unbeknownst to most people, the use of genetically modified organisms is not limited to agriculture. GMO technology is all around us, helping to produce life-enhancing products, such as synthetic insulin, and life-saving medicines, such as cancer-fighting Avastin. Still, controversy surrounding GMOs persists. Join us to hear our two distinguished speakers discuss the risks and benefits associated with GMO science.

Immigration reform will increase economic growth and productivity in the United States — but not uniformly. Most Americans and immigrants will reap rewards, while others could face increased competition in the labor market. Ethan Lewis will discuss how lower-skilled immigrant workers affect the labor market decisions of similarly skilled Americans. Madeline Zavodny will delve into the economic impact of highly skilled immigrants and how business cycles affect immigrant flows. Michael Clemens will assess the global economic impact of immigration reform and the enormous economic potential of removing most immigration restrictions.

Purchase bookOne of the most disturbing trends in American policing in recent years has been the militarization of police weaponry and tactics. In his new book, The Rise of the Warrior Cop, author Radley Balko traces the arc of American law enforcement from the constables of colonial times to present day SWAT teams and special response units. With the martial rhetoric surrounding the "war on drugs" and the "war on terrorism," policymakers have signed off on a dangerously aggressive style of policing that too often leads to unnecessary deaths and injuries. Is modern law enforcement on a collision course with our Bill of Rights? Join us for wide-ranging discussion of paramilitary police tactics in America.

The Korean War ended six decades ago, but so far hopes for reform and liberalization in North Korea have been frustrated. On the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice, South Korea’s ambassador to the U.S. will address the future of the U.S.-South Korean alliance, which also turns 60 this year. Two Korea experts will follow with commentary on relations between Washington and Seoul, as well as appropriate policy towards Pyongyang. Should America pursue more intense involvement or turn the North Korean “problem” over to its neighbors, including China?

Growing Pains: Dodd-Frank's Third Anniversary: Has It All Been Worth It? - Panel 2

Growing Pains: Dodd-Frank's Third Anniversary: Has It All Been Worth It? - Panel 1

When President Barack Obama signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) into law on July 21, 2010, he promised that "because of this law, the American people will never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street's mistakes." Three years on, the implementation of Dodd-Frank has turned out to be more costly, lengthy, and complex than most proponents anticipated. As of July 1, 2013, nearly 63 percent of the rulemaking deadlines under Dodd-Frank have been missed. To mark Dodd-Frank's third anniversary, panelists will discuss whether Dodd-Frank really addressed the root causes of the 2008 financial crisis, the implementation progress to date, and the way forward.

The 2012 Supreme Court decision in NFIB v. Sebelius held that the threatened loss of all federal Medicaid funds made ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion unconstitutionally coercive. However, Secretary Sebelius has continued to hold federal Medicaid funds hostage in order to limit the effect of the decision in NFIB and coerce states into implementing elements of the Medicaid expansion that the Court rendered optional.