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LPE Blog

Weekly Roundup: Feb 13

Vincent Joralemon on the flawed legal architecture behind drug pricing, Eamon Coburn on the anti-worker character of “no taxes on overtime,” and Emmanuel Mauleón on the gradual erosion of law preceding recent events in Minnesota. Plus, a cool new paper from Laura Portuondo, Amna Akbar on what’s happening in South Minneapolis, JW Mason. . .

What is the Point of Overtime Laws?

When Congress eliminated taxes on overtime last summer, it framed the move as a win for workers. However, by encouraging people to spend more time on the job, the policy runs directly counter to the original purpose of overtime laws: to protect workers’ personal time and give them greater control over their lives. A better agenda would involve shortening the. . .

Martin Shkreli Had a Point

A decade ago, Martin Shkreli became the most hated man in America by raising the price of Daraprim – an antiparasitic essential for immunocompromised patients – from $17.50 to $750 per pill. Though Shkreli’s conduct was lambasted in the court of public opinion, the legal framework that allowed this 4,000 percent increase remains in place. And Daraprim?. . .

Weekly Roundup: Feb 6

Patrick Driessen on Big Pharma’s exit strategy, and Serena Mayeri on her recent history of marital privilege. Plus, Jake Grumbach and Adam Bonica on the scourge of moderation, JS Tan and Kathleen Thelen on cloud capitalism, Jessica Shoemaker & James Fallows Tierney on Wall Street’s arrival at rural America’s gate, and the third installment of. . .

Writing a History of Marital Privilege in an Age of Retrenchment

As the government seeks to erase the past injustices and achievements of marginalized groups, it is worth recalling how those gains were made. Parents, partners, students, and lawyers pursued a more just future at significant personal and institutional risk. Their courage offers a lesson for the present. At stake is whether this moment marks a temporary break. . .

Big Pharma’s Get-Out-of-U.S.-Tax-Free Card

While many industries excel at not paying U.S. corporate taxes, the pharmaceutical industry takes the cake – despite $400 billion in prescription drug sales in 2022, Big Pharma claimed to have close to zero taxable income. One of their principal methods for maintaining this charade is the constant threat of exit, moving their headquarters abroad to. . .

Weekly Roundup: Jan 30

Edie Conekin-Tooze on hidden foster care as neoliberal family governance, an open letter from seventy-two UMN law faculty, and Luke Farrell on the means-testing industrial complex. Plus, Aslı Bâli and Aziz Rana on the roots of the Trump Doctrine, Sandeep Vaheesan and Brian Callaci on building democratic state capacity, Luke Herrine on the institutional foundations. . .

Weekly Roundup: Jan 23

Nathan Yaffe on the immigration agencies openly defying federal courts, and Sabeel Rahman and Jocelyn Simonson on the Part IV problem in legal scholarship. Plus, Michael Macher traces the bipartisan origins of Trump’s immigration crackdown; Eric Blanc, Claire Sandberg, and Wes McEnany advocate targeting ICE’s corporate collaborators; David Austin. . .

Game Over: The End of Financial Regulation as We Knew It

Many on the left continue to view cryptocurrency as little more than a grift. Yet the crypto industry aims to achieve something much more dangerous: functional monetary sovereignty. Their infrastructures create new conditions for exchange, wealth, and information. By ignoring these developments, we increasingly live in a dystopian world of monetary fiefdoms,. . .

Inside the Failure to Regulate Stablecoins

From legislative paralysis to regulatory fragmentation to strategic incoherence, Democrats have spent the past five years squandering opportunities to assert control over the future of digital currencies. To reverse course, progressives need to embrace a coordinated approach that balances innovation, privacy, and systemic risk.