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Articles by Ryan Owens
Transcriptional regulation of the main olfactory epithelium by environmental olfactory exposures
Abstract The nasal epithelium is a complex tissue composed of both respiratory and olfactory tissue, and is constantly exposed to environmental insults, including toxins and pathogens. The main olfactory epithelium (MOE) serves as the critical site for olfaction, or sense of smell. Dysfunction at this critical barrier tissue can result in partial or total loss of olfactory function, resulting in significant impact to quality of life.
The Supreme Court’s Slaughter Decision Is Only Half the Battle
Forcing Congress to hold the executive branch is the other half. Illustration by Noah Hickey/The Dispatch (Photos via Getty Images). Illustration by Noah Hickey/The Dispatch (Photos via Getty Images). Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. In the Trump v. Slaughterdecision on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents can remove unelected agency officials who thwart their policies.
Congress: The guards who left their post
Once a serious legislative institution, today’s Congress requires reform. This problem is not partisan; it is institutional. Today’s members care more about showmanship than craftsmanship or leadership. They mistake publicity for governance and surrender legislative authority to other institutions. We require responsible leaders who will carry out their core constitutional duties seriously. Consider this: Congress last completed the full appropriations process on time nearly 30 years ago, in 1997.
What Americans really think about men in women’s sports
Add us as a preferred source on Google - OPINION: Seventy-nine percent. That’s how many Americans say high school girls’ sports should be played only by females. It’s not just a big group; it’s a supermajority. Women and men, every age group, every race. Both political parties. That data point comes from a nationwide poll of more than 1,500 adults by the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University.
How Not to Start a Fish War
1. Office of Naval Intelligence, “Foreign Governments’ Use of Their Distant Water Fishing Fleets as Extensions of Their Maritime Security Forces and Foreign Policies,” Congressional report. (ONI, June 2021). 2. Scott C. Apling et al., “Pivoting the Joint Force: National Security Implications of Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing,” Joint Force Quarterly 107, no.
Americans Want Parental Choice in Education, New Survey Shows
On June 27, the Supreme Court issued a landmark 6–3 ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, holding that public schools must allow parents to opt their children out of lessons featuring LGBTQ+ storybooks when those lessons conflict with their religious beliefs. Grounded in the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause, the decision marks a major victory for religious liberty advocates. But how well does it reflect broader public opinion?
Adapt and Lead: How the Coast Guard Can Take Charge in a Time of Change
Body The nation’s Maritime Transportation System (MTS) is an integrated network connecting 25,000 miles of coastal and inland waters and rivers. It serves 361 ports, supports $5.4 trillion of economic activity each year, and accounts for the employment of more than 30 million Americans, while connecting U.S. consumers, producers, manufacturers, and farmers to domestic and global markets.
Newly created institute at FSU hopes to reverse trends on civic literacy | Opinion
Our constitutional republic works only if citizens understand their governing institutions, their country’s history, and their own rights and responsibilities. But many do not. The Institute for Governance and Civics recently polled 1,234 Floridians and found that only 48% correctly answered five basic civics questions. That’s a problem. Simply put, we must do more to teach people about American civics. That’s where the IGC can help. The legislature, in a bill originally sponsored by Sen.
Cognitive Aging and the Federal Circuit Courts: How Senescence Influences the Law and Judges
Cognitive aging affects all people. Judges are people. Therefore, cognitive aging must affect judges. Today’s federal circuit court judges are older than ever. Yet scholars know next to nothing about the consequences of cognitive aging on these judges. The central effort of this book is to examine the effects of cognitive aging on federal circuit court judges.
How the Intensity of Preference for Ideological Judges Influences Court Support
Recent studies show that people support courts more when they agree with their decisions and less when they disagree with them (Armaly 2021; Badas 2019; Bartels and Johnston 2013, 2020; Christenson and Glick 2015). Though not without controversy, those studies analyze how people’s ideological agreement with case outcomes influences their support for courts. While that approach has expanded our understanding of court support, there is more work to be done.
Order effects and oral argument at the US Supreme Court
How can we best measure the quality of a lawyer's oral argument at the Supreme Court? For some time, scholars have employed Justice Harry Blackmun's private oral argument records to measure oral argument quality. Blackmun kept copious notes about counsel during oral argument. He evaluated almost every attorney's performance. In a pathbreaking study, Johnson, Wahlbeck, and Spriggs (2006) used those evaluations to measure attorney argument quality.
Republicans Must Play the Long Game in 2024
As president, Donald Trump oversaw a number of excellent policies — but, despite those strengths, he will harm conservatives and Republicans if he wins the nomination in 2024. Constitutionally term limited, Trump would be a lame-duck president from day one, with all the limitations that come with that status. To secure success in 2024 and 2028, Republicans must unite behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or North Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
Opinion | The Danger of Cameras to the Supreme Court
Sens. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) have reintroduced a bipartisan bill to require the Supreme Court to televise oral arguments. Mr. Grassley says it “would be a victory for transparency and would help the American people grow in confidence and understanding of the judiciary.” A forthcoming study suggests otherwise. With political scientists Timothy Johnson and Justin Wedeking we conducted an experiment that exposed respondents to real TV clips from two state supreme courts.
Football: Reflecting on 2021 season while looking ahead to 2022
The Wisconsin Badgers football team ended the season with a respectable 8-4 record, finishing 6-3 against Big Ten Conference opponents. The Badgers fell one game short of appearing in the Big Ten Championship game and overall underachieved compared to lofty preseason expectations. This season was a bit of a roller coaster for Wisconsin, complete with a slow start, an exciting winning streak and heartbreak down the stretch.
AG Josh Kaul Defends Convicted Rapist In Employment Case
By Ryan Owens Men who beat and rape women should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and not be allowed to prey on them again. Certainly, government officials should not go out of their way to help the abusers. But that’s precisely what Attorney General Josh Kaul is doing — he is demanding that the Wisconsin Supreme Court force a company to hire a man convicted of eight counts of sexual assault, strangulation, and battery.
Ryan Owens: Kaul failing to work with Legislature on rape kits - The Cap Times
By Ryan Owens | guest column Wisconsin deserves an Attorney General who can work effectively with the Legislature to make our state freer, safer, and more prosperous. Regrettably, Attorney General Josh Kaul refuses to do so. He has ignored, attacked and offended the Legislature on so many issues and to such a degree that he cannot successfully work with them.
Ryan Owens: Kaul failing to work with Legislature on rape kits
Ryan Owens: Kaul failing to work with Legislature on rape kits When a victim of sexual assault chooses to file a police report and have the case prosecuted in court, forensic nurses do an exam to collect evidence for analysis and package it in a box like the one shown. The box is shipped to the state Crime Lab by police or nurses.
Who Will Protect Our Liberties if Democrats Kill the Filibuster?
(Photograph by Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images.) If the effort by progressives to terminate the filibuster succeeds—and Joe Biden’s evolving statements on the issue are a sign they are having some influence—another defense against radicalism will fall. Our constitutional liberties will lose another layer of protection. If that day comes, state attorneys general will stand as one of the last remaining protectors of our liberties and defenders of the law.
State AGs Are Right: Court Packing Is Wrong
In a recent article, state Attorneys General Eric Schmitt, Chris Carr, and Steve Marshall (of Missouri, Georgia, and Alabama) rallied the American public to reject the left’s radical idea to pack the Supreme Court. Court packing, they argued, will destroy the rule of law in America. They are 100% correct. The public must stop such a politically motivated miscarriage of justice.
State Attorneys General Must Defend Constitution against Biden Administration Excesses
President Joe Biden participates in a CNN town hall in Milwaukee, Wis., February 16, 2021. (Leah Millis/Reuters) With Democrats in control of Washington, state attorneys general across the nation can still act to defend the Constitution. Democrats now control both houses of Congress and the presidency, and are eager to use this power to their advantage, as the ever-higher spending figures for ongoing COVID-relief talks have shown.
Opinion: Wisconsin's law enforcement officers are leaving in droves. Here's what we can do to keep communities safe.
Ryan J. Owens Wisconsin’s law enforcement officers are retiring in large numbers, and there are fewer and fewer recruits to replace them. This attrition is a public safety threat. Wisconsin needs to increase funding and resources for law enforcement so officers can continue to do their jobs safely and effectively. We are losing law enforcement officers at an unsustainable rate. Officers have left or are leaving the profession in significant numbers.
Opinion: Wisconsin's law enforcement officers are leaving in droves. Here's what we can do to keep communities safe.
Ryan J. Owens Wisconsin’s law enforcement officers are retiring in large numbers, and there are fewer and fewer recruits to replace them. This attrition is a public safety threat. Wisconsin needs to increase funding and resources for law enforcement so officers can continue to do their jobs safely and effectively. We are losing law enforcement officers at an unsustainable rate. Officers have left or are leaving the profession in significant numbers.
Court Packing Is Radical. Dems Must Say Where They Stand.
COMMENTARY Former Vice President Joe Biden recently confessed that, if elected president, he would form a commission to investigate whether to “pack” the Supreme Court. His flirtation with the far left on this issue is alarming. Court packing would be an egregious act. Biden and every Democratic Senate candidate should be forced to explain their position on it to voters. What is court packing?
A Constitutional Affront by Wisconsin’s Attorney General | National Review Original
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul speaks during a news conference following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., August 26, 2020. (Stephen Maturen/Reuters) The Attorney General’s power grab destroys liberty and must not be allowed to stand. Wisconsin’s attorney general seeks to rob the state’s citizens of their sovereignty. He is trying to grab power that does not belong to him and wants to make mischief while avoiding oversight.
The Influence of Personalized Knowledge at the Supreme Court: How (Some) Former Law Clerks Have the Inside Track
Bailey, M. A., Kamoie, B., Maltzman, F. 2005. “Signals from the Tenth Justice: The Political Role of the Solicitor General in Supreme Court Decision Making.” American Journal of Political Science 49:72–85. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI Baum, L., Ditslear, C. 2010. “Supreme Court Clerkships and ‘Feeder Judges.’” Justice System Journal 31:26–48. Google Scholar Baumgartner, F. R., Berry, J. M., Hojnacki, M., Kimball, D. C., Leech, B. L. 2009. Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why.
Our Elected Leaders Must Oppose the Growing Lawlessness in the Country | National Review Original
A man on a bike rides past a city truck on fire outside the Kenosha County Courthouse during riots following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Kenosha, Wis., August 23, 2020. (Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/USA TODAY/Reuters) Pernicious consequences arise from mob rule. A clear and metastasizing disdain for law, order, and reason is growing unchecked in parts of our country. We are seeing what happens to a society without order or trust.
Opinion: Wisconsin should adopt a robust ABLE account program for the disabled
Ryan J. Owens and Eric C. Tempelis This year, the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership investigated how Wisconsin can help people with cognitive and physical disabilities increase their independence. One theme emerged: The state should allow people with disabilities to save money for their expenses without fear of losing existing benefits. Wisconsin should follow the lead of 43 other jurisdictions and implement an ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) program.
We Still Need Oral Arguments at Supreme Court
Tall trees cast long shadows. Just as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, permanently changed the American way of life, so too will COVID-19 change our way of life—and our political and legal institutions. But one thing the virus should not change is the U.S. Supreme Court’s use of oral argument to decide cases. The court announced recently it would postpone oral argument in a number of upcoming cases.
The Supreme Court must stop the trend of judge-shopping
Supreme Court Justice Sonia SotomayorSonia SotomayorRoberts wrestles with abortion law in high-stakes Louisiana case Justices divided over Trump push to speed up deportations Justices to hear first major abortion case of Trump era MORE recently made headlines when she fired off a bitter dissent in Wolf v. Cook County that accused her colleagues of carrying water for the Trump administration. What was the focus of Sotomayor’s ire?
The Misguided Case Against the Federalist Society
Can federal judges be members of legal organizations and still uphold their duty to be impartial? That’s a question the Committee on Codes of Conduct for the U.S. Judicial Conference seeks to answer. The committee sets the ethical rules for judges and provides them with guidance documents. This is a useful enterprise and the committee generally exercises its duties well.
No to Court Packing but Yes to Term Limits?
The left and right might not agree on much today, but one area of agreement is that many of our national institutions need reform. Congress and the presidency need to be steered back toward being responsible policymakers as the Founders intended. The national media have lost credibility among Americans and could benefit from self-reflection and reconnection with their audiences. The federal bureaucracy has metastasized to a degree that the Supreme Court is now considering how to rein it in.
To protect liberty, the Supreme Court must apply nondelegation doctrine
It’s not often one has the opportunity to undo an original sin. The U.S. Supreme Court recently had that opportunity in Gundy v. United States. Unfortunately, the justices ate of the forbidden apple once again, leaving intact a 1928 ruling and continuing to forfeit some of our rights to self-governance. In Gundy, the court analyzed whether the Constitution requires Congress to pass laws or whether it allows Congress to delegate lawmaking authority to executive agencies.
Okla. Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder: 911 Operators Say It's OK to Shoot
A young Oklahoma mother shot and killed an intruder to protect her 3-month-old baby on New Year's Eve, less than a week after the baby's father died of cancer. Sarah McKinley says that a week earlier a man named Justin Martin dropped by on the day of her husband's funeral, claiming that he was a neighbor who wanted to say hello. The 18-year-old Oklahoma City area woman did not let him into her home that day.
Is Walker practicing 'politics of hate?' Are Democrats 'filled with hatred?' Now we know.
We’ve heard a lot about the tone of Wisconsin politics. Democrats running against Gov. Scott Walker have accused him of “practicing the politics of hate.” He has responded that “their rhetoric is increasingly not just liberal, but filled with hatred and anger towards me, towards the president, towards Republicans in general.” Are the Democrat candidates more “angry” than the governor? Is his message more positive? These are empirical questions we can answer.
New Study Shows Americans Would Tend to Prefer Originalist Nominee to Replace Justice Kennedy on Supreme Court, In Line with President Trump's Short List
Who should President Trump nominate to the Supreme Court? The answer to this question is both legal and political. Conservative legal scholars want Trump to choose an originalist. But do the American people value those same ideals? In large part, the answer seems to be yes. We recently performed a national conjoint experiment in a working paper to examine which judicial philosophies and nominee characteristics most appeal to the American public.
Kennedy’s Retirement Leaves John Roberts in the Swing Seat
Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his long-awaited retirement from the Supreme Court on Wednesday, leaving conservatives to gush with joy and liberals to wring their hands. The vacancy sets off what will be a very interesting summer. What does the vacancy mean? Who wins and loses? What are the legal and political implications? To begin, Chief Justice Roberts is now slated to become the most powerful chief justice in recent history.
Now It Really Is the Roberts Court
Now It Really Is the Roberts Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court Can Restore the Separation of Powers and Lead the Nation Forward | National Review
(Photo: Gary Blakeley/Dreamstime) (Kuzma/Dreamstime) In Tetra Tech EC, Inc. v. Wis. Dep’t of Revenue, the court has a chance to send America a message: Judging must be left to judges. Over the last decade, Wisconsin has been the tip of the spear for monumental policy change.
Interpreting the Constitution Based on Current Understandings Instead of Original Meaning Is a Mistake
Alarmingly, more people today believe the Supreme Court should base its decisions on “current understandings” of the Constitution than on what the text of the Constitution meant when drafted, says a recent poll by the Pew Foundation. According to the poll, 55 percent of respondents believed judges should look to “current understandings” while only 41 percent believed they should interpret the Constitution based on the text as originally written. These results should frighten everyone.
Gordon Giampietro's orthodox Catholicism, not legal acumen, is under attack in court fight
Wisconsinites deserve better. In recent days, powerful interest groups have attacked Gordon Giampietro’s nomination to be a federal judge, largely because he holds orthodox Catholic views. Their religious attacks are deeply disturbing. In this country —and surely in this state — we do not impose religious tests for public office. Gordon Giampietro is qualified. He deserves a hearing and a vote by the Senate to determine whether he ought to be confirmed. Who is Gordon Giampietro?
Chief Justice Burger and the Bench: How Physically Changing the Shape of the Court's Bench Reduced Interruptions during Oral Argument
During the first oral argument of the Supreme Court's February 1972 sitting, Justice Blackmun scrawled the following in his notes: “New bench separates Brennan and White, hurrah!”1 The reason for Blackmun's glee? Chief Justice Burger recently hired carpenters to cut the Court's straight bench into thirds so it would resemble a U‐shape that wrapped toward the lectern from which counsel argue cases.
Okla. Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder: 911 Operators Say It's OK to Shoot
A young Oklahoma mother shot and killed an intruder to protect her 3-month-old baby on New Year's Eve, less than a week after the baby's father died of cancer. Sarah McKinley says that a week earlier a man named Justin Martin dropped by on the day of her husband's funeral, claiming that he was a neighbor who wanted to say hello. The 18-year-old Oklahoma City area woman did not let him into her home that day.
To Manage Disaster Data, Use ‘Fog’ of the Cloud
A new visual cloud computing architecture could streamline the processing of visual and electronic data during disasters—which could mean life or death for survivors. Visual data from numerous security cameras, personal mobile devices, and aerial video provide useful data for first responders and law enforcement. That data can be critical in terms of knowing where to send emergency personnel and resources, tracking suspects in disasters caused by people, or detecting hazardous materials.
Believe it or not, even most politicians want to work together
The people — and believe it or not even most policymakers — say they want collegial public leadership. We got a head start in that direction earlier this month during the inaugural event at the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our goals: to identify effective leadership practices and discuss what leaders can do to bring people together and to lead more effectively.
Aktar’s promising work leads to first-ever EWF fellowship
Rumana Aktar’s interest in image processing and computer vision led her to the U.S. after earning her bachelor’s degree in her home country at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. She wanted to work with a faculty researcher who was doing cutting-edge work in the area of computer vision, and she found what she was looking for in MU Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Interim Chair Kannappan Palaniappan.
What is the 'blue slip,' and should it be reformed?
President Trump and Senate Democrats are steadfastly opposed to one another over judicial nominees. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., are now threatening to "blue-slip" Trump's nomination of Joan Larsen to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Other senators are making similar threats. With Republicans poised to reform the blue slip, now seems an appropriate time to discuss what it is and how it works in practice.
The blue slip: A soon-to-be extinct ideological tool?
Senate Republicans and Democrats are headed for a showdown over whether to keep or do away with the blue slip and its power to block judicial nominations. Given its recent track record of ideological abuse, the blue slip likely is headed for extinction. Just as senators extirpated the filibuster after it became a filthy kennel of ideological obstruction, so too are they likely to terminate the blue slip. For those unfamiliar with the blue slip, a brief primer follows.
Sexual Harassment Protections Give Unions Questionable Boost
A Seattle initiative that protects hotel workers could soon spread to other cities, but critics warn it gives unions an unfair advantage. Seattle has often served as the test grounds for progressive policies. Those ideas sometimes turn into national issues. A new initiative that protects hotel workers against assault, sexual harassment, and injury could be next. Those opposed to the policy warn it’s unnecessarily burdensome and gives unions an unfair advantage.
Job Growth Remains Strong Under Trump With 235K New Jobs
The economy continued to show steady employment growth by gaining an additional 235,000 new jobs for the month of February, according to a federal report Friday. President Donald Trump entered office at a time of positive labor market growth. Former President Barack Obama oversaw the trend during his final years in office, following an irregularly prolonged economic recovery. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found in its latest jobs report that the trend continued with 235,000 new jobs.
States Rebel Against Obama-Era Franchise Rule
State lawmakers are rising up in opposition to a federal rule which fundamentally changes how certain businesses contract together. Former President Barack Obama made major changes to labor law during his time in office. The International Franchise Association (IFA) has warned changes to the joint-employment standard could be devastating. It has since launched numerous initiatives in opposition to the change. The IFA has directly worked with state lawmakers as part of one such initiative.
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