Featured Cases
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
George Retes Federal Officer Accountability
Ventura, California
George Retes, a U.S. citizen and Iraq War veteran, was detained for three days after encountering an ICE roadblock on his way to work.
4th Amendment Project | License Plate Readers | Private Property
San Jose License Plate Readers
San Jose residents file federal class action lawsuit challenging city’s use of nearly 500 license plate read cameras.
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Georgia Botched Raid
An ordinary, quiet morning turned into a nightmare for Cathy George. More than a dozen heavily armed law enforcement officers stormed her apartment, looking for a fugitive who had no connection to Cathy and who…
Fines and Fees | Private Property
U.S. Department of Labor v. Sun Valley Orchards
In 2016, the Department of Labor demanded $550,000 from a family farm in southern New Jersey. In their case, the agency served as prosecutor, judge, and jury, and the agency won every time. The brothers…
IJ Protects COnstitutional Rights
The Institute for Justice litigates to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. IJ defends ordinary people who want to earn an honest living, own and enjoy their property, speak freely, and give their children a good education but find that the government is standing in their way.
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.
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
North Dakota Teacher Licensing
When Capstone Classical Academy opened in Fargo, North Dakota, in 2022, its goal was simple: hire the best teachers possible. At first, the school focused on finding talented educators committed to the school’s mission and…
Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
North Port Restrictive Zoning
Art Yatsko is like a lot of Americans in their 60s. After decades of hard work and saving, he wants to slow down—to retire somewhere quiet, peaceful, and warm. He thought North Port, Florida, was…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Pennsylvania Real Estate Office Requirement
Pennsylvania real estate broker Kevin Gaughen has filed a lawsuit alongside the Institute for Justice challenging a law requiring brokers in Pennsylvania to have brick-and-mortar offices.
Fines and Fees | Private Property
United States v. Saydam
Eighty-eight-year-old retiree Tuncay Saydam is at risk of losing his life’s savings. Not because of a bad investment or a fraudulent scheme. Rather, the federal government is trying to fine Tuncay over $437,000—because he unintentionally…
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Nebraska Barber Shop Free Speech
Institute for Justice joins lawsuit defending family bar threatened with fines and even jail time for using “barber shop” theme to honor owners’ late father When Mike DiGiacomo and his siblings wanted to remodel…
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Wisconsin Animal Care
Jim Masterson has been working with animals for almost 30 years. He has developed a signature method of animal care—the Masterson Method—that he has taught to willing students. The method has proven popular and demand…
4th Amendment Project | License Plate Readers | Private Property
San Jose License Plate Readers
San Jose residents file federal class action lawsuit challenging city's use of nearly 500 license plate read cameras.
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Georgia Botched Raid
An ordinary, quiet morning turned into a nightmare for Cathy George. More than a dozen heavily armed law enforcement officers stormed her apartment, looking for a fugitive who had no connection to Cathy and who…
Fines and Fees | Private Property
Triple R Administrative Appeal
The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking to impose over $70,000 in penalties and back wages on Triple R Farms—a small tobacco farm in Berry, Kentucky, run by married couple David and Debbie Ross—based on…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation
Apache County, AZ Retaliation
Fernie Madrid ran for school superintendent in Apache, but he was running against the wife of the County Attorney, Michael Whiting. Whiting used his employees to retaliate against Fernie and bully him out of the…
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
Oklahoma Caskets II
Small business challenges Oklahoma's unconstitutional restrictions on casket sales…
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Maine Mistaken Identity
Body camera footage of the arrest What began as an ordinary school day in Portland, Maine, spiraled into a terrifying and traumatic ordeal after a teenager was mistakenly identified by police, leaving him shaken…