Nicole W.C. Yeatman

Washington, D.C., United States

Managing Editor at Pacific Legal Foundation

Libertarian. Feminist. Lover of books, movies, TV & cocktails. Wife of @WillieYeatman. Mum of two boys.

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Articles

Ninth Circuit considers first grader’s free speech in ‘any life’ drawing case

2 weeks ago | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

Did a California school district violate the First Amendment when it punished a first grader for writing “Black Lives Mater [sic] … any life” on a drawing and giving it to a friend? That question was before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in oral arguments this week. Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Caleb Trotter argued the case of B.B. v.
Rhode Island town seizes family’s land in eminent domain scandal

1 month ago | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

A shocking eminent domain scandal is unfolding in Johnston, Rhode Island: Last week, the Town secretly took possession of a family’s 31-acre property, only notifying the owners afterward in a letter demanding they “remove all vehicles and other personal belongings from the property immediately” or they’d be served with a no trespass notice.
Here's the status of COVID-19 policies, 5 years later

1 month ago | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

The COVID-19 pandemic happened “gradually and then suddenly,” to steal from Hemingway. In early 2020, the U.S. Commerce Secretary optimistically predicted that the coronavirus outbreak in China would “help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America.” New York City’s health commissioner encouraged New Yorkers “to go about their everyday lives.” A doctor wrote a Los Angeles Times op-ed discouraging masks.
Cowboy State Daily: Teton County’s Workforce Housing Regulations Are Unconstitutional

1 month ago | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

“Workforce housing” fees — a bad idea that drives up the cost of housing and unconstitutionally places the burden of other people’s housing on individual property owners — may soon run their course in Wyoming.
Nebraska man gets his home back after home equity theft

Jan 10, 2025 | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

The government took his home in 2018 over a $588 property tax debt. But a few days before Christmas 2024, Kevin Fair, an ailing Nebraska widower, found out he was getting back the title to his home. Now a GoFundMe has raised over $16,000 so Kevin, who recently had a stroke, can build a ramp for his home, make some other repairs, and meet upcoming tax obligations.
Victory! Court rules against the California Coastal Commission in San Luis Obispo

Jan 9, 2025 | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

There are legal victories, and then there are legal victories—court rulings so decisive, so sharply written, that they can only be considered a judicial knockout. Case in point: Al Hadian and Ralph Bookout’s New Year’s Eve victory against the California Coastal Commission. Al and Ralph sued the Commission in 2022 with Pacific Legal Foundation’s help.
Supreme Court vaping case is about the regulatory process

Dec 13, 2024 | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

You don’t have to be a fan of flavored vapes to find the White Lion case, argued on December 2 at the Supreme Court, a fascinating example of a company struggling against an opaque and changing regulatory process. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, passed in 2009 under President Barack Obama, gives the Food and Drug Administration power to authorize or reject new tobacco products. In 2016, the FDA issued a rule to add vaping products to the list of items covered by the Act.
Victory Against Inclusionary Housing Fees in California

Dec 10, 2024 | swordandscales.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman |James Burling |Joseph Kast |Phillip Bader

“Is there a reason none of your email addresses got the letter I sent yesterday?” Jessica Pilling calmly asked the members of the Healdsburg Planning Commission as she stood in front of them at the podium. It was a Tuesday evening in February 2024. All the Pillings had come to the planning meeting: Jessica, her husband Chris, and their three young children. (“We didn’t have anyone to watch the kids,” Jessica remembers.) The kids played at the back of the room.
A year into Texas lawsuit, artist reflects on what her city has lost

Oct 23, 2024 | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

Kay Ray-Smith co-owns Tilt Vision, a mural painting business in Texas, with her husband Brad. Last year they filed a lawsuit against the city for banning their murals. A year into the lawsuit, Kay reflects on how the city not only jeopardized the couple’s livelihood and infringed on their constitutional rights, but also deprived emerging artists of the chance to collaborate with them. Public art isn’t allowed in Waller, Texas. At least not according to a recently enacted city ordinance.
PLF wins North American Liberty Award for defeating home equity theft at the Supreme Court

Sep 13, 2024 | pacificlegal.org | Nicole W.C. Yeatman

Pacific Legal Foundation’s 2023 Supreme Court victory in Tyler v. Hennepin County changed lives—and is now being recognized for advancing freedom and human progress in America. For years, local governments across the country manipulated tax forfeiture laws to steal from vulnerable Americans—most of them ill, elderly, jobless, immigrant, or struggling homeowners who fell behind on property tax payments. The government didn’t just take what it was owed. It took whole houses over debts as low as $8.41.