Law and Civil Liberties

The Bottom Line

Cato’s constitutional scholars address a wide range of constitutional and legal issues — from federalism to economic liberty, property rights, civil rights, criminal law and procedure, asset forfeiture, and term limits, to name just a few. Cato expects the judiciary to be the “bulwark” of our liberties, as James Madison put it, neither making up nor ignoring the law but interpreting and applying it through the natural rights tradition we inherited from the founding generation.

Cato Studies

More Cato Studies

Experts

Of Special Note

Cato Legal Briefs

As part of Cato’s mission is to secure liberty through limited government and the rule of law, we file “amicus curiae” (friend of the court) briefs with the Supreme Court. These briefs encourage the Court to interpret and apply the law through the natural rights tradition inherited from the founding generation — and educate the scholars, advocates, and interested others about Cato’s legal positions.

New Site

PoliceMisconduct.net

This new Cato project gathers reports of credible allegations of police misconduct so policymakers (and others) can make informed assessments of the nature and circumstances of police misconduct, and consider proposals that can minimize wrongdoing.

Special! 10 Copies for $10

Cato Pocket Constitution

To encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s founding documents, the Cato Institute published this pocket-size edition.

Supreme Court

Cato Supreme Court Review

The 11th volume of the nation’s first in-depth critique of the Supreme Court term just ended. We approach our review from a classical Madisonian perspective, with a focus on individual liberty, property rights, and federalism, and a vision of a government of delegated, enumerated, and thus limited powers.