The Federalist Society
Boiling Down the Enumerated Powers: CEI Challenges the Federal Ban on Home Distilling
CEI’s Devin Watkins was cited in a recent blog posting on The Federalist Society about the home distilling ban: In a recently filed lawsuit, the Competitive…
News Release
Fifth Circuit hits pause on the SEC climate disclosure rule: CEI analysis
A controversial climate disclosure rule put forward by the Securities and Exchange Commission has been stopped by a federal appeals court. On Friday, March 15,…
Blog
CEI sues to end federal at-home distilling ban
The Competitive Enterprise Institute, which regularly litigates against federal overreach, represents the Hobby Distillers Association and its members in a lawsuit seeking an end…
E&E News
These industries pitched Chevron’s demise to a pro-business Supreme Court
CEI’s Devin Watkins is cited in E&E News on the Chevron’s doctrine’s modern-day role in business: While larger companies have resources to influence the way…
Comment
Comment on FTC Unfair or Deceptive Fees
Dear Commissioners, On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I respectfully submit the following comments in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed rulemaking concerning…
Letters
Coalition Letter on American Consumer Institute – Risk Transfer
Chief Counsel’s Office Attention: Comment Processing, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E–218 Washington, DC 20219 Ann E. Misback…
News Release
Supreme Court hears challenge to regulator deference: CEI analysis
Today the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case that could upend deference judges give to regulators over citizens. Competitive Enterprise Institute attorneys…
Blog
Appeals court rejects DOE’s attempt to eliminate fast dishwashers
The days of dishwashers with four-hour cleaning cycles may be coming to an end. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals repudiated the Biden administration’s…
The Center Square
Court blocks Biden effort to tighten regulations on washing machines, dishwashers
CEI’s Devin Watkins is cited in The Center Square on dishwasher regulation: “This decision allows manufacturers to build better dishwashers, not be encumbered by counterproductive…
Fox News
Biden admin’s crackdown on dishwashers dealt blow by appeals court
“In this opinion, the court has forced DOE to follow the law and even noted that one of the positions DOE took in this suit…
News Release
Fifth Circuit rules for consumers on dishwasher regulation: CEI statement
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion that creates new possibilities for consumer choice and manufacturer innovation in the…
News Release
CEI welcomes Supreme Court review of censorship ‘jawboning’ case
Competitive Enterprise Institute Attorney Devin Watkins praised the U.S. Supreme Court for agreeing to hear a lawsuit challenging government “jawboning,” pressuring private entities like social…
Blog
A Jury Trial Must Precede Fines and Occupational Banishment
Imagine that the government has accused you of wrongdoing that you didn’t commit. You would expect a jury of your peers to recognize your innocence.
News Release
Supreme Court hears case against CFPB, including unusual claim concerning government powers: CEI analysis
Today, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in CFPB v. CFSA, in which the Court will decide if the CFPB’s funding structure, which bypasses…
Blog
22 months after we asked, the Food and Drug Administration answered!
Finally! Nearly two years after we asked, the government has finally told us what it was doing! Here’s what happened: We asked the Food and…
Reason
Environmentalists Are Destroying My Kitchen
Reason Magazine cites CEI’s Devin Watkins and Sam Kazman on environmentalist agendas: “When a new energy standard is adopted by the DOE, the result is…
Frederick News Post
A new proposal for constitutional restoration
Now that Congress has gotten past debt-ceiling drama, next up is wrangling the nation’s budget for the coming year. A budget is about policy and…
Blog
CEI asks Supreme Court to overturn Chevron deference to regulators
Earlier today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute filed an amicus brief at the United States Supreme Court asking the Court to overturn Chevron. Our brief…
Daily Caller
Supreme Court’s Embrace Of This Legal Theory Means Biden’s Sweeping Electric Vehicle Plans Could Be Unconstitutional
The Daily Caller cites CEI’s Devin Watkins on the Biden administration’s new vehicle emission plan: The EPA’s new emissions rule, which applies…
City Journal
Rebuilding the Constitutional Structure
City Journal cites CEI’s Dan Greenberg and Devin Watkins on constitutional structure: Consider a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report that provides a timely…
City Journal
Rebuilding the Constitutional Structure
City Journal cites CEI’s Constitutional Restoration study by experts Dan Greenberg and Devin Watkins: Consider a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report that provides…
Washington Post
How the Supreme Court could thwart Biden’s plan to electrify cars
The Washington Post cites attorney Devin Watkins on the EPA’s proposed rule on greenhouse gas emissions: Republican-led states and conservative groups, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
News Release
New CEI report proposes bold reforms to restore Constitution’s constraints on government power
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report proposes significant reforms aimed at restoring the U.S. Constitution’s separation and balance of powers that are vital to…
Study
Constitutional Restoration: How to rebuild the separation of powers
Introduction A specter is haunting America—the specter of unlimited government. A central feature of our Constitution is that it restricts the federal government’s powers. These…
Comment
CEI Comments on Proposed OMB Circular No. A-4
RE: Request for Comments on Proposed OMB Circular No. A-4, “Regulatory Analysis”, 88 FR 20915 (Apr. 7, 2023), Docket OMB-2022-0014 Dear Mr. Revesz, I am…
Blog
Moore good news? CEI responds to government in landmark tax case
Earlier today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute filed a reply brief in the Moores’ case. A few weeks ago, the government argued that the Supreme…
News Release
Supreme Court Protects Property Rights from Federal Overreach in Sackett v. EPA Decision
The Supreme Court today ruled in favor of the Sackett family in a property rights dispute with the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA claimed…
The Hill
Chevron case: Supreme Court could take sledgehammer to agency power
Devin Watkins, an attorney at Competitive Enterprise Institute, which filed a brief supporting the fishermen, argued the case demonstrates how powers expressly given to…
News Release
Supreme Court to Hear Lawsuit Challenging Unfair ‘Chevron Doctrine’
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a lawsuit challenging the Chevron doctrine, a policy requiring courts to defer to regulatory agencies in lawsuits…
News Release
Supreme Court Ruling Ensures People Can Challenge Agency Authority in Court
The Supreme Court ruled today that regulatory agency tribunals do not have any special expertise in deciding constitutional law questions; therefore, district courts can hear…
Blog
Eight Groups Support Supreme Court Consideration of Moore v. United States
The Moores’ Supreme Court challenge to an unprecedented tax—a tax which the government labels a income tax, but is actually a property tax—received a…
Blog
Congress Should Appropriate Money for the CFPB Through the Congressional Appropriation Process
Last week, I had the honor of testifying before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy on how Congress should…
Testimony
Testimony of Devin Watkins before the House Financial Services Committee on 03/09/23
Introduction Chairman Barr, Ranking Member Foster, and Members of this Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today. My name is Devin Watkins.
News Release
Supreme Court Rightly to Review CFPB Funding Constitutionality
The Supreme Court today announced it will review the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) funding, an unusual arrangement of unchecked funding from…
Comment
CEI Comments on the Proposed Regulation on Digital Discrimination of Access
Introduction. On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully submit the following comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of…
Blog
Agencies Are Limited in Which Congressional Power They Can Exercise
Can unelected federal bureaucrats force people to hire police to ensure that the law is complied with—even if Congress never said anything about hiring cops…
Blog
More on Moore: A History of Direct Taxes and their Application to Moore v. United States
Many politicians, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), advocate taxes on wealth. These taxes are easy to abuse, which is why the Founders placed…
Blog
Ninth Circuit Refuses to Reconsider Allowing Wealth Taxes
Moore v. United States—a case in which CEI represents the Moore family—is likely to be the most important tax case of the 21st century. Yesterday’s…
Citation
Court showdown looming on Elizabeth Warren’s Wall Street-policing agency
News Release
Biden CFPB Asks Supreme Court to Review Ruling on Its Unconstitutionality
The Biden administration has moved to appeal an October court ruling against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a ruling that invalidated controversial restrictions on…
Inside Sources
Why the CFPB Is at Death’s Door
President Reagan once said, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on…
Legal Brief
CEI et al. Opening Brief in CEI v. EPA
CERTIFICATE AS TO PARTIES, RULINGS, AND RELATED CASES Pursuant to Circuit Rule 28, petitioners American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Clean Fuels Development Coalition, Competitive Enterprise …
News Release
Court Rules CFPB Funding Structure Unconstitutional: CEI Statements
A Fifth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s unusual funding structure is unconstitutional, in a lawsuit brought by a small-dollar (payday)…
News Release
CEI Seeks Court Order on National Climate Task Force Records
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) sought a court order to preserve relevant documents and other materials from the White House’s National Climate Task…
Blog
Government May Not Avoid Just Compensation in Debt Seizures
Some state governments have been acting as if the Fifth Amendment’s requirement of just compensation doesn’t apply in the course of collection of government debts.
News Release
Court Rules Against Vaccine/Mask Mandates Imposed by Federal Agency
Today, a federal judge in Louisiana ruled the federal government cannot require Head Start program teachers, staff and volunteers be vaccinated against COVID-19 nor that…
Litigation
Competitive Enterprise Institute et al. v. EPA
News Release
CEI Amicus Brief Supports States Challenging Biden Administration Appliance Efficiency Standards
WASHINGTON—The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) filed an amicus brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last week, supporting Louisiana and a group…
Legal Brief
CEI Files Brief of Amici Curiae in Louisiana v. Department of Energy
CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES Louisiana v. DOE, Fifth Circuit Case No. 22-60146. The undersigned counsel of record certifies that the following listed persons…
E&E News
EPA blocks bid to review basis for climate regs
E&E News cites CEI Attorney Devin Watkins on climate regulation: “It’s shocking that it took more than five years for EPA to provide…