Institute for Justice

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Akron Charity Sues for Right to Shelter the Homeless

October 16, 2018

IJ Takes Excessive Fines Case to the U.S. Supreme Court

November 1, 2018

Less than 1% of 8,000 charities rated have received at least 17 consecutive 4-star ratings

Report: End of Wisconsin’s Home-Baking Ban Provided Immediate Economic Benefits for Entrepreneurs

Business Is Booming One Year After State Declares Prohibition Unconstitutional

This Thanksgiving, Wisconsin’s home bakers can legally sell homemade apple pies, sugar cookies and other delicious treats to hungry Wisconsinites. They have not had this opportunity for long: In October 2017, following a lawsuit by the Institute for Justice (IJ), a Wisconsin court ruled a law prohibiting entrepreneurs from selling home-baked goods—even a single cookie—was…

At what cost licensing? Occupational licensing kills jobs, costs consumers and the economy billions

New report provides new national and state-level estimates of licensing’s costs, confirms licensing’s growth

Arlington, Va.—State occupational licensing laws force people to spend time and money earning a license instead of earning a living. But these laws also impose real costs on the wider economy—nearly 2 million lost jobs and billions of dollars in losses for consumers and the wider economy, according to a new Institute for Justice study.…

Institute for Justice Will Oppose Attempt to Intervene in Challenge to Maine’s Tuition Program

“The proposed intervenors cannot claim any constitutional harm...”

Arlington, Va.—The Institute for Justice (IJ) released the following statement from senior attorney Tim Keller in response to today’s motion to intervene in the case: “The Institute for Justice and First Liberty Institute will oppose the motion to intervene in our suit against Maine over the unconstitutional restrictions in the high school tuitioning program. The…

Can the Government Bulldoze Your Home for No Reason?

MEDIA ADVISORY EVENT: Can the Government Bulldoze Your Home for No Reason? N.J. Appeals Court to Hear Argument In Atlantic City Eminent Domain Abuse Case DATE/TIME: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, at 10 a.m. PLACE: New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division Brennan Courthouse 583 Newark Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 PARTICIPANTS: Robert McNamara and Dan Alban, Attorneys,…

Akron Charity Sues for Right to Shelter the Homeless

City refuses to allow man to use his commercial property to host tent community; fears tents will be gone by Thanksgiving

Akron, Ohio—Since ancient times, good samaritans have used their land to shelter the neediest. That tradition continues today in Akron, Ohio, where Sage Lewis—a local entrepreneur—welcomed a group of homeless people to set up tents in the back lot of his business after the city forced them off public land. That was more than a…

New Poll: 76% of Americans More Likely to Vote for Candidates Who Back Forfeiture Reform

With the midterms just three weeks away, a new poll found widespread opposition to civil forfeiture, a controversial practice that lets law enforcement agencies seize and keep property, without a criminal conviction or even filing charges. Conducted by the Institute for Justice and YouGov, the poll found that 76 percent of Americans would be more…

South Side Pitch Crowns Winner in Fifth Annual Business Competition

Innovative exercise solution Liv Labs rises above 130 competitors

CHICAGO—Five South Side entrepreneurs took the stage last week with three crowned winners and all the contestants gaining valuable experience in promoting their unique business idea. For five years running, the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship (IJ Clinic) has hosted South Side Pitch. Liv Labs, an innovative solution to help women exercise with confidence,…

Our Issues

Educational Choice

School choice is simply the idea that all parents, regardless of means, should enjoy the freedom to choose what schools their children attend.
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Economic Liberty

The right to earn a living in the occupation of your choice without unnecessary government interference is at the heart of the American Dream.
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First Amendment

We seek to defend the free flow of information—information that is indispensable to our democratic form of government and to our free enterprise economy.
more on this issue »
Private Property

Respecting the right of private property is essential to a just and prosperous society. But government at all levels—local, state and federal—routinely infringe on these rights.
more on this issue »

IJ IN THE MOVIES

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

CATHERINE KEENER

EMMY NOMINEE

JEANNE TRIPPLEHORN

LITTLE PINK HOUSE

SHE FOUGHT FOR HER HOME. AND YOURS.

ECONOMIC LIBERTY

Occupational Licensing Blocks Americans' Right to Earn an Honest Living.

OccupationalLicensing.com

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December 7, 2017 | Strategic Research

Flour Power

How Cottage Food Entrepreneurs Are Using Their Home Kitchens to Become Their Own Bosses
December 5, 2017 | Strategic Research

Finding the American Dream at Home

How Home-Based Businesses Benefit Entrepreneurs and Their Communities

Larry Miller

Larry Miller has been fighting for the rights of Atlanta’s vendors for the past twenty-five years.

Richard Beyer

Richard and his business partner poured thousands of hours of sweat equity into renovating the two homes and the lots they purchased in New London, Conn.

Korver Ear Nose and Throat LLC

Korver Ear Nose and Throat LLC owns a recently constructed medical facility in Orange City, Iowa. It would like to convert the lower level of this facility into an outpatient surgery center, but does not want to incur the enormous time, expense, and uncertainty of going through the certificate of need process, only to be denied because of its competitor’s opposition.

Ben Burris

IJ client Dr. Ben Burris is an Arkansas orthodontist who wants to offer low-cost teeth cleanings to people who cannot otherwise afford them. But it is illegal for him to perform basic dental services, even though he is a licensed dentist.

Shelia Champion

Shelia Champion lives in Hazel Green, Alabama and operates a cemetery, The Good Earth Burial Ground.

Tina Barnes

Tina was elected to the Charlestown City Council to represent the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood. If forced out by the city, Tina, her daughter and granddaughters will all be homeless.

Liz Robbins

Liz has seven children, three of whom have a severe tissue disorder called EDS which requires constant medical attention. Liz needs Nevada’s ESA so she can design a quality education for her youngest EDS child, Dallin, who will likely miss a lot of school in the future.

Heather Kokesch Del Castillo

Heather Kokesch Del Castillo is a health coach in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, who joined with the Institute for Justice to defend her First Amendment right to give dietary advice.

Chip McElroy

Chip owns Live Oak Brewing, based in Austin, Texas. Established in 1997, Live Oak has been brewing craft beer long before its current surge in popularity. Now he is fighting a Texas law that forces craft brewers to give up millions of dollars of valuable property to politically connected beer distributors.

Keith Westphal

IJ clients Keith Westphal and Joyce Osborn Wilson are banned from offering Alabamians a comfortable and clean place to use the prepackaged, teeth-whitening products they sell to customers.

Heather Russinko

Heather is a single mother of a 14-year-old son. After bringing in baked goods to her son’s school for fundraisers and to his football team, Heather started getting many requests to sell them. But then Heather learned that selling her goods from home was illegal. Heather wants very much to be able to resume selling her delicious goods so she can use the money to support her son.

Susette Kelo

Susette is the Kelo in Kelo v. New London. She led her neighbors in a seven-year battle to save their homes from being taken by the government for private development, culminating in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2005.

Hilda Brucker

Hilda Brucker was sitting at home one day working her job as a freelance writer. The phone rang, she answered, and was told by a hostile voice that if she didn’t come down to the courthouse at once she would be given a failure to appear violation. She hastily complied. When she got there, she found out that the city had issued a citation, although it had never told her about it. She later learned the citation stated she was charged with (1) “Rotted wood on house and chipping paint on fascia boards”; (2) “High weeds in backyard and ivy on tree and vines on house”; and (3) “Driveway in a state of disrepair.” Not knowing what to do, Hilda pled guilty to the driveway charge, while the other two were dismissed. She paid a fine of $100 and was sentenced to six months probation, where she had to report to a probation officer, avoid alcoholic intoxication, and cooperate “with code enforcement upon request.” She later hired an attorney who filed a motion to vacate her sentence, but the motion was continued several times, eventually being granted only after her six-month probation would have already ended. She also obtained a home equity line of credit in case she needed to pay for any of the fixes that the city nebulously demanded.

Aurora Espinoza

Aurora Espinoza is a single mom who works a full‑time job to make ends meet, has two daughters who are trapped by their zip code in some of the worst public schools in the state.

John Rinaldi

When John tried to expand his cab business to Bowling Green, he was stymied by a city law that limited the number of taxis allowed in the city to only 16. Less than two months after he filed a lawsuit, Bowling Green repealed the cap.

Steve Camburn

Steve is a model landlord who deeply cares about his tenants and their comfort and security. However, he is unwilling to allow the Borough to intrude into his tenants’ homes without their consent.

Lissette Waugh

Nevada is trying to force makeup artistry instructors, like IJ client Lissette Waugh, to get a license they don’t need.

Harley Bruce

Janice Craig

Dale Sorcher

Steve Cooksey

This caveman blogger fought for free speech and Internet freedom.

Hinga Mbogo

For more than 30 years, Hinga Mbogo has been fixing the cars of Dallas residents at his shop on Ross Avenue. But the city is trying to shut him down by using an oppressive and little-known zoning process called “amortization.”

Brent Melton

Michael Cristofaro

The Cristofaros were plaintiffs in the infamous Kelo v. New London lawsuit, when the city tried to take their house again. Since the ruling, Mike has become a national spokesperson for property owners fighting eminent domain abuse.

Wendy Robin

Wendy trained as a makeup artist in Hollywood and has over 20 years of experience working with celebrities. But in Nevada, teaching others how to apply makeup without a government-issued license can subject you to up to $2,000 in fines.

Ken Quran

Khalid (“Ken”) Quran moved to America in 1997, and now runs a convenience store in Greenville, N.C. But the government seized his entire bank account—more than $150,000—even though he was never charged with a crime.

Jessica Hadraba

Michael Driesen

Iowa’s certificate-of-need requirement prevents Michael Driesen and his children from receiving future ENT surgeries from Korver ENT because Korver ENT cannot open its proposed surgery center before obtaining a certificate of need.

Heather Coffy

Heather is a single mom and has three children she wants to participate in Indiana’s school choice program.

Rhett Keisler

Rett owns Revolver Brewing, south of Fort Worth. He is fighting a Texas law that forces brewers to give up their distribution rights to distributors for free. Even worse, distributors can then sell those rights to other distributors and pocket the money.

Aaron and Monica Cannon

Michael Nolan

Michael loves Charleston and plans to tell its story to visitors, but he will do so because he has a right to say what he wants—not because the city has given him its permission.

Dan Leger

Tour guides are storytellers, and the government can’t be in the business of deciding who is (or who is not) allowed to tell stories.

Aimee and Heath Hairr

Aimee and Heath Hairr have five adopted children. Their oldest, Nolan, was floundering in his public school and endured intense bullying. The Hairrs just want Nolan to have a safe learning environment and for their other children to have the same.

Senator Lisa Torraco

Senator Lisa Torraco, a Republican representing Bernalillo County, N.M., was the initial sponsor for the Forfeiture Reform Law in the State Senate.

Lisa Kivirist

Lisa Kivirist is a mother, farmer, business owner and avid baker. Lisa typically serves muffins and other baked goods at her B&B for breakfast, but the baked-good ban prohibits her from selling these same exact goods to guests.

Markela Sourovelis

In May 2014, Philadelphia police showed up unannounced at Markela’s home and tried to seize the home through civil forfeiture because her son had been caught selling a small amount of drugs outside the home. After a year of uncertainty, the city agreed to stop seizing people’s homes without warning and forcing people to give up their constitutional rights and kick out family members. Even better—Markela’s son was allowed back home.

Josh Craven

Josh grew up in Pleasant Ridge and he cannot realistically afford to own a home anywhere else.

Achan Agit

Achan works in fear that Iowa will punish her for providing her services without a license. If she could braid without a license, she would reopen her salon, grow her business and better provide for her family.

Sage Lewis

Christos and Markela Sourovelis

Chris and Markela Sourovelis worked their whole lives to build a home for their family. Officials in Philadelphia then tried to use civil forfeiture to take it all away, even though Chris and Markela did nothing wrong.

Mary Jackson

Byron Billingsley

Abdikadir “Abdi” Abdisalan and Abdullahi Hassan

Abdi immigrated to the United States in the 1990s, after fleeing the civil war in his native Somalia. He is a longtime taxi driver who want to go into business for himself.

Mike Warfield

Fed up with Charleston’s endless series of trivial questions, Mike is standing up for his First Amendment right to talk to paying customers without first getting the government’s permission.

Central Radio Company

Bob Wilson is blocked by the city of Norfolk, Va., from displaying a banner protesting eminent domain abuse outside his business, Central Radio Company.

Opternative

Opternative is a Chicago-based internet startup that offers consumers a simple promise: Get a new prescription for glasses or contacts from the comfort of your own home. In most states, Opternative’s technology allows doctors to provide faster and better service to more people—but not in South Carolina.

At what cost licensing? Occupational licensing kills jobs, costs consumers and the economy billions

Institute for Justice

Homepage

Akron Charity Sues for Right to Shelter the Homeless

IJ Takes Excessive Fines Case to the U.S. Supreme Court

Less than 1% of 8,000 charities rated have received at least 17 consecutive 4-star ratings

Conor Beck | Press Release | November 15, 2018

Business Is Booming One Year After State Declares Prohibition Unconstitutional

Andrew Wimer | Press Release | November 14, 2018

New report provides new national and state-level estimates of licensing’s costs, confirms licensing’s growth

Andrew Wimer | Press Release | October 30, 2018

“The proposed intervenors cannot claim any constitutional harm...”

John Kramer | Press Release | October 22, 2018

J. Justin Wilson | Press Release | October 16, 2018

City refuses to allow man to use his commercial property to host tent community; fears tents will be gone by Thanksgiving

Nick Sibilla | Press Release | October 15, 2018

Andrew Wimer | Press Release | October 15, 2018

Innovative exercise solution Liv Labs rises above 130 competitors

Our Issues

Educational Choice

Economic Liberty

First Amendment

Private Property

IJ IN THE MOVIES

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

CATHERINE KEENER

EMMY NOMINEE

JEANNE TRIPPLEHORN

LITTLE PINK HOUSE

SHE FOUGHT FOR HER HOME. AND YOURS.

ECONOMIC LIBERTY

Occupational Licensing Blocks Americans' Right to Earn an Honest Living.

OccupationalLicensing.com

SUPPORT OUR WORK

The National Law Firm for Liberty

Our Videos

Our Research

December 7, 2017 | Strategic Research

How Cottage Food Entrepreneurs Are Using Their Home Kitchens to Become Their Own Bosses

December 5, 2017 | Strategic Research

How Home-Based Businesses Benefit Entrepreneurs and Their Communities

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