The Pebble Project would not only bring a new copper and gold mine to Alaska, it would bring an economic boom to the region with nationwide effects. Too bad that it was blocked by the EPA before it was even given a chance.

In a troubling expansion of government snooping, a New York judge ruled Thursday that Microsoft has to open its servers to federal investigators. What’s concerning in this case is that the servers in question are not on U.S. soil—they are located in Ireland. In pursuit of information from Microsoft, the federal government pulled Microsoft into court to argue over the government's power to act through a warrant to access information stored on the company’s overseas servers.

Covering one decision from Circuits 6 through 11, this article is Part 2 of a collection of court cases that you should know about. Court activism throughout the country affects you and your rights so take a glance at the cases below to see the precedents being established that are threatening your civil liberties.

No matter which circuit boundary you live in, the activism in the courts throughout the country affect you and your rights. Take a gander at the cases below to see the precedents being established that are threatening your civil liberties.

Freedom of speech in America has been held to a higher standard as a fundamental right since the beginning. Before the country was even established, a precedent was set forth in the Colony of New York in 1735 that would forever allow people on this side of the pond more liberty with their tongues than those over in England.

Pierson v. Post, one of the first cases studied in law classes, is a story about a couple of New York hunters, a fox, and a lucky catch back in 1805. And yet, 200 years after the decision was made, this case is viewed as a cornerstone of how America views private property rights.

Still a student whose resume was a blank sheet of paper, I walked into work on my first day as an assistant leader at a children’s summer camp with no experience. I had no skills concerning supervising children or dealing with staff, and the first weeks were filled with my training by senior staff rather than me contributing to the program. I was hired as an investment in the hopes that at the end of training, I would be able to provide enough services that the camp would make a profit. With that investment, there was the risk that I would not be worth the minimum wage (which back then was around $7.25 an hour) I was being paid. Think about it – that is a high wage to pay a teenager who needs to be taught everything, starting with the fundamentals of showing up to work on time, especially when you are paying them to allow you to train them. If this is the case, should you be allowed to pay them less, at least until they can prove they can do their job? The government says no, through minimum wage legislation.

Senator Mike Lee and Congressman Justin Amash have introduced companion bills in the Senate and House to repeal the authority of the Export-Import Bank, which is up for re-authorization this year.