The Institute for Justice

About the Institute for Justice

IJ is a nonprofit, public interest law firm. Our mission is to end widespread abuses of government power and secure the constitutional rights that allow all Americans to pursue their dreams.

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News

Institute for Justice Calls Flock Safety’s Proposed Reforms ‘Window Dressing’

Dan King
August 12, 2026

ARLINGTON, Va.—Today, the Institute for Justice (IJ) released a statement responding to suggested “reforms” announced by automated license plate reader (ALPR) provider Flock Safety. “This is yet more window dressing,” said IJ Senior Attorney Robert Frommer. “Flock suggests that police departments limit their retention periods to 7 days, while admitting that decision is still entirely up to the police departments themselves. The company also suggests that police departments conduct their own audits, but as we’ve seen in our lawsuit against the city of Norfolk,…

Austin Councilmember, Public Interest Law Firm Applaud Austin’s New Microbusiness Resolution

Dan King
August 12, 2026

Public Interest Law Firm Releases New Page Tracking License Plate Reader Abuse Nationwide

Dan King
August 11, 2026

The IJ Database of ALPR Abuse

August 11, 2026

Court Rules North Carolina Family’s Lawsuit Can Move Forward After SWAT Team Raided, Damaged Wrong Home

Dan King
August 6, 2026

Former Attorneys General, Business Associations, and Former Department of Labor Leaders Support Family Farm’s Supreme Court Case

Andrew Wimer
August 4, 2026

Major Ruling in Favor of True Food Labels as Federal Appeals Court Revives First Amendment Lawsuit Against FDA and USDA

Andrew Wimer
August 3, 2026

Oklahoma Small Business Gets Early Win in Lawsuit Challenging Restrictions on Selling Caskets

Dan King
July 30, 2026

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What We’ve Done

IJ is the national civil liberties law firm that represents everyday people—free of charge—when the government violates their most important constitutional rights.

We focus on the areas of the law that provide the foundation for a free society, and we win nearly three out of every four cases we file despite the challenges inherent in litigating against the government.

IJ has a nearly 70% success rate
through litigation and legislation.

We Work Nationwide

IJ litigates nationwide. We are currently litigating 103 cases in 37 states and Washington, D.C.

11 Supreme Court Wins

IJ has litigated 13 U.S. Supreme Court cases since 2002, including 11 victories.

$21M Seized Assets Returned

IJ has filed over 150 cases to defend private property rights, including the infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision of Kelo v. New London.

Over 20,000 Homes and Businesses Saved

IJ has saved over 20,000 homes and businesses from eminent domain abuse.

Over 300 Legislative Reforms

IJ has curtailed government abuse and expanded individual liberty through over 300 legislative reforms.

What We Fight For

IJ’s work targets the core freedoms that form the foundation of a free society: the rights to own and enjoy property, speak freely, earn a living, and have a meaningful choice in your children’s education. We have litigated hundreds of cases on behalf of thousands of individuals under those four pillars, and Americans are measurably freer in each area as a direct result of our work.

Economic Liberty

IJ believes that all people have the right to earn an honest living in the occupation of their choice without arbitrary, unnecessary, or protectionist government interference.

Private Property

IJ defends the right of all Americans to own and enjoy their property free from unjust seizures, searches, and fines.

First Amendment

IJ fights for the right to speak freely about the issues that matter most to ordinary people and to defend the free flow of information essential to democratic government and free enterprise.

Educational Choice

IJ stands for the idea that every child deserves a chance at a great education and that all parents, regardless of means, should enjoy the freedom to direct their children’s education.

Our Projects

Project on Immunity and Accountability

Qualified immunity and other legal doctrines let government workers violate constitutional rights with impunity. IJ works to eliminate these barriers to accountability.

Project on the 4th Amendment

Every American is now at risk of government searches, seizures, and surveillance. IJ defends vital rights to privacy and security.

Ending Civil Forfeiture

Under civil forfeiture, people can permanently lose their property without a criminal conviction or even charges. This is one of the gravest abuses of power in the country today, and IJ aims to put a stop to it.

Food Freedom

All individuals have the right to produce, advertise, sell, procure, and consume the foods of their choice. IJ ensures they can use these rights to provide for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Zoning Justice

Arbitrary and abusive zoning practices make our society less free and less prosperous. IJ stands up for all Americans’ right to use their property peacefully and productively, without undue government interference.

Who We Fight For

IJ litigates to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. We fight to hold government officials accountable when they violate constitutional rights and to prevent governments at all levels from bending the rules to expand their power or advance illegitimate ends.

our cases

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Our Latest Videos

Fed's OUTRAGEOUS Demand for $500K RUINS Family Farm

In early 2016, federal agents from the U.S. Department of Labor came to Sun Valley Orchards to hand-deliver a letter. According to the letter, the farm—a fourth-generation family farm in …southern New Jersey—was being ordered to pay the government over $550,000. The bulk of that amount (over $320,000) was because of a single alleged violation.

https://ij.org/case/sun-valley-administrative-appeal/

Brothers Joe and Russell Marino, the owners of Sun Valley, denied the government’s allegations, but they soon found they had no choice but to defend themselves in the agency’s in-house courts—where the judges are employed by the same agency imposing the fines. One agency judge, who presided over a four-day trial, had been employed by the Department of Labor for nearly 30 years. And then the brothers appealed from her decision to a panel of five more agency judges, all appointed by the Secretary of Labor and likewise employed by the agency. The agency served as prosecutor, judge, and jury, and the agency won every time.

Now the Marino brothers are joining with the Institute for Justice to demand their day in court, before a real federal judge. Article III of the U.S. Constitution created the system of federal courts—with judges appointed by the President, confirmed by Congress, and protected by life tenure—and vests the “judicial Power” in those federal courts. Before the government can take away half a million dollars from a family farm, the government should have to prove its case in a real court.

Unfortunately, those constitutional protections have eroded, and for decades federal agencies have expanded their use of administrative courts overseen by agency judges. Prior to the 1970s, if the government wanted to impose a monetary fine, the government almost always had to file a lawsuit in a real federal court. But today the Marino brothers’ experience is all too common, and every year thousands of farms, small businesses, and individuals are subjected to monetary fines imposed in agency courts.

After a four-year legal battle, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the agency’s actions violated the Constitution and that charges against the farm had to be brought in an independent federal court. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the government’s appeal and will consider the case in the fall of 2026. If the government wants to take your property, you should get your day in court—not your day before a bureaucrat.Show More