Better living through better policy.

Category: Legal and Judicial

DC Journal: California’s Crackdown on Consumer Credit Just Hit a Wall

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date June 30, 2026
No Comments on DC Journal: California’s Crackdown on Consumer Credit Just Hit a Wall

The fight over bank-fintech partnerships is really a fight over price controls, preemption, and access to credit.

Courts Economic Opportunity Government Regulation Markets and Finance

SPPI Files Amicus Brief Defending Federal Reserve’s Debit Card Fee Protections

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date June 18, 2026
No Comments on SPPI Files Amicus Brief Defending Federal Reserve’s Debit Card Fee Protections

For Immediate ReleaseJune 18, 2026 [email protected] Washington, DC—The Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), alongside the Pinpoint Policy Institute and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation (TPAF), announced today the filing of a joint amicus curiae brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky for the case Linney’s Pizza v. Board of Governors […]

Courts Economic Opportunity Government Regulation Markets and Finance Top Issues

American Banker: ‘For Heaven’s sake, stop it’ DIDMCA opt outs harm interstate commerce

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date June 15, 2026
No Comments on American Banker: ‘For Heaven’s sake, stop it’ DIDMCA opt outs harm interstate commerce

State-level DIDMCA opt-outs threaten to fragment the national credit market.

Courts Government Regulation Markets and Finance Technology Top Issues

The Hill: Illinois and Colorado are coming for your airline miles

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date June 9, 2026
No Comments on The Hill: Illinois and Colorado are coming for your airline miles

Originally published at thehill.com on May 27, 2026. Spirit Airlines is gone. The airline business is fragile. Fuel prices move. Labor costs rise. Consumers chase low fares. Regulators block mergers. Politicians threaten bailouts. Then, when the math no longer works, planes stop flying. That is what happened to Spirit. Now, just as travelers are watching […]

Economic Opportunity Government Regulation Markets and Finance The Constitution Top Issues

SPPI Supports the OCC in Blocking Harmful State Banking Mandates

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date May 27, 2026
No Comments on SPPI Supports the OCC in Blocking Harmful State Banking Mandates

A new comment letter from the Southwest Public Policy Institute highlights the existential threat that state-level interference poses to the national economy.

Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates Welfare

The Future of Retirement is Here

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 31, 2026
1 Comment on The Future of Retirement is Here

The change could quietly unlock billions in hidden retirement wealth for everyday Americans.

Tags 401(k) Plans, Alternative Investments, Department of Labor (DOL), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Fiduciary Duty Standards, financial inclusion, Investment Diversification, Private Equity Markets, Retirement Policy, Retirement Savings Crisis

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Reports Security Technology Top Issues Transparency Updates

Report: Rolling the Dice

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date March 23, 2026
No Comments on Report: Rolling the Dice

Procurement failures and vendor transition risks threaten the New Mexico Lottery.

Tags Bid Scoring Methodology, Central Gaming System, Contract Duration Limits, Contract Extension Risk, Cost Versus Technical Evaluation, Critical Infrastructure Procurement, Emergency Contract Extensions, Evaluation Committee Process, Government Accountability, Government Contracting, Government Efficiency, Government Oversight, Government Procurement, Higher Education Funding, Implementation Risk, Infrastructure Governance, Infrastructure Transition Failures, Internal Audit Review, International Game Technology (IGT), Intralot, Legislative Lottery Scholarship Program, Lottery Gaming Systems, Lottery Infrastructure, Lottery Procurement, Lottery Retailers, Lottery Revenue Risk, Lottery Technology Providers, Lottery Vendor Contracts, New Mexico Lottery Act, New Mexico Lottery Authority (NMLA), New Mexico Procurement Code, NMSA 1978 Section 6-24-9, Operational Continuity, Policy Analysis, Pollard Banknote, Procurement Accountability, Procurement Compliance, Procurement Governance, Procurement Transparency, Public Finance Risk, Public Policy Research, Public Procurement Failures, Public Sector Risk Management, Public-Private Partnerships, Regulatory Compliance, Retail Network Operations, Risk Of Service Disruption, Scholarship Funding Risk, Scientific Games, Sole-Source Contracts, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), State Lottery Operations, State Revenue Systems, State Statutes Compliance, System Conversion Risk, System Deployment Delays, Technology Procurement Failures, Think Tank Research, Transition Planning, Vendor Transition Risk

Coal, Oil, Natural Gas Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economy Energy & Environment Energy Economics Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Nuclear Energy Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Renewable Energy Taxes Top Issues Trade Transparency Updates

The Carbon Standardization Project

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 19, 2026
No Comments on The Carbon Standardization Project

International bureaucracies are undermining America’s energy policies.

Conservatism Courts Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates

National Review: Sue-Pervised Retirement

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 1, 2026
No Comments on National Review: Sue-Pervised Retirement

Rampant litigation against 401(k) sponsors is narrowing employees’ investment choices and eroding their retirement wealth.

Tags 401(k) Plans, Alternative Assets, American Retirement Crisis, American Workers Retirement, Capital Formation, Class Action Litigation, Congressional Tort Reform, Defined Benefit Pension Decline, Defined Contribution Plans, Democratizing Investment Access, Department Of Labor Regulation, Employee Retirement Income Security Act, Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans, ERISA Fiduciary Duty, ERISA Litigation, Excessive Fee Lawsuits, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Inclusivity, Financial Independence, Financial Policy Analysis, Financial Regulation Reform, Free Market Policy, Free Market Retirement Solutions, Hughes v. Northwestern, Illiquidity Premium, Institutional Investing Advantage, Investment Diversification, Investment Menu Diversity, Investment Policy Debate, Investment Regulation, Judicial Paternalism, Labor Department Rulemaking, Long Term Investing, Long Term Wealth Building, National Review Op Ed, Patrick M Brenner, Pension Fund Investing, Private Credit Investments, Private Equity Investing, Private Markets Access, Private Retirement Accounts, Public vs Private Markets, Retirement Economics, Retirement Investment Choice, Retirement Investment Freedom, Retirement Investment Innovation, Retirement Litigation Risk, Retirement Ownership, Retirement Plan Sponsors, Retirement Planning In America, Retirement Policy, Retirement Policy Reform, Retirement Portfolio Allocation, Retirement Reform, Retirement Safe Harbor Rules, Retirement Savings, Retirement Savings Shortfall, Retirement Security, Retirement System Reform, Retirement System Sustainability, Retirement Wealth Creation, Retirement Wealth Gap, Revenue Act Of 1978, Social Security Act Of 1935, Social Security Insolvency, Southwest Public Policy Institute, Target Date Funds, Tibble v. Edison, Trial Attorney Incentives, Trial Lawyer Litigation, Tussey v. ABB, University Endowment Investing, Wealth Accumulation

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Domestic Policy Education Government Regulation Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial New Mexico Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

SPPI Files Public Records Request Regarding New Mexico Lottery Contract Procurement

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date February 27, 2026
No Comments on SPPI Files Public Records Request Regarding New Mexico Lottery Contract Procurement

SPPI seeks transparency and legal clarity regarding the New Mexico Lottery Authority’s procurement process and transition planning for the state gaming system contract.