John Wrench is the Assistant Director of the Center for Judicial Engagement at the Institute for Justice.
John joined IJ’s headquarters office in 2019 as a Constitutional Law Fellow. He received his law degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was a member of the Federalist Society and served as editor in chief of the Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law. John also interned in his law school’s First Amendment Litigation Clinic and was a judicial extern to the Honorable Paul E. Davison in the Southern District of New York. Before law school, John graduated from Pace University with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies.
At IJ, John has litigated in defense of free speech and property rights across the country. In 2023, John convinced a state trial court that the Iowa Constitution is more protective of Iowans’ right to be secure against suspicionless rental home searches than the Fourth Amendment. He has a focus on state constitutions and is a regular contributor to the Federalist Society’s State Court Docket Watch, a publication that discusses state court jurisprudence, trends, and ground-breaking decisions.
John's Cases
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Joshua Gray criticized the police—so they denied him an occupational license
Joshua Gray, a private investigator, wanted to expand his business into his home state of Maine. In violation of his First Amendment rights, the state denied his request for a license, because he has criticized…
4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Orange City, Iowa, Rental Inspections
Landlords and tenants in Orange City, Iowa are forced to open their doors to government officials without a warrant, simply because the property is a rental. This intrusive rule violates the Fourth Amendment, and that’s…
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Sierra Vista, Arizona, Residents Sue City to Keep Their Homes in Place
Under the guise of “zoning,” the city of Sierra Vista, Arizona is threatening to kick residents out of their homes in the middle of a pandemic. With IJ’s help, these residents are fighting back to…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
First Amendment Lawsuit Seeks to Protect the Right to Practice Talk Therapy Across State Lines
Elizabeth Brokamp uses talk therapy to help people improve their lives. She’s licensed in Virginia, where she lives, near the border with D.C. But D.C. will not let her see clients online who she could…
4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Landlord and Tenants Sue Illinois City Challenging Unconstitutional Home Inspections
Josefina Lozano and three of her tenants have joined with IJ to file a federal lawsuit to shut down the city of Zion’s warrantless inspection program, which allows the city to intrude on the privacy…
4th Amendment Project | Fines and Fees | Private Property
The Windy City Tows the Cars of Innocent People and Holds Them for Ransom
Chicago is towing the cars of innocent people and holding them for ransom. Victims of this unjust system are taking a stand, with IJ’s help, and calling for an end to this impound racket.
John's Research & Reports
Immunity and Accountability
Constitutional GPA
Constitutional rights only exist if they can be enforced. But a confusing patchwork of immunity doctrines and special rules often means they cannot be. Chief among the doctrines that prevent constitutional accountability is qualified immunity,…
Economic Liberty | Health
Conning the Competition
A certificate of need (CON) is a government-mandated permission slip to start or expand a business. Think of a CON like an expensive admission ticket to access an exclusive club. You can be sure…
John's Amicus Briefs
Chatrie v. United States
United States Supreme Court
John's News, Articles & Publications
Liberty & Law Article
Victory! The Government Knocks, and an Iowa Court Slams the Door
Liberty & Law Article
IJ Defends Iowa Renters’ Fourth Amendment Rights
Liberty & Law Article
In an Oasis, This Arizona City Sees Property Rights as a Mirage
John's Podcasts
August 03, 2026
Unpublished Opinions 26 | The Batman Approach
John Wrench is joined by Kirby West and Josh Windham to discuss some of the major threats to liberty, including warrantless mass surveillance, the facial/as-applied […]
Listen NowMay 01, 2026
Short Circuit 426 | Vaccinated Home Distilling
John Wrench of IJ details the Fifth Circuit’s ruling that the federal ban on home distilling is unconstitutional. At least as the case was argued, […]
Listen NowApril 30, 2026
Unpublished Opinions 24 | What If It’s Not Peyote?
John Wrench is joined by Sam Gedge and Kirby West for a session of hot takes, hard questions, and changed minds. The trio challenge received […]
Listen NowFebruary 03, 2026
Unpublished Opinions 22 | The Lorax Doctrine
John Wrench welcomes Josh Windham and Kirby Thomas West for a gameshow episode that proves Schiller’s insight that one becomes fully human through play. A […]
Listen NowJanuary 30, 2026
Short Circuit 413 | Economic Freedom, History, and Tradition
IJ’s John Wrench journeys to New Orleans to chat with some legal scholars on their recent work on all kinds of IJ-adjacent questions, especially as […]
Listen NowNovember 19, 2025
Unpublished Opinions 20 | And Fascism
Your IJ roundtable is back with hot takes and tepid reflection. John Wrench, joined by Sam Gedge and Josh Windham, share tips on how to […]
Listen NowOctober 27, 2025
Unpublished Opinions 19 | The Highest Court in the Land
With the new Supreme Court term underway, John Wrench welcomes Anya Bidwell and Anthony Sanders for a SCOTUS-themed romp—including which justice is the ideal dinner […]
Listen NowSeptember 30, 2025
Unpublished Opinions 18 | Picking Favorites
Constitution Day might have been September 17, but Diana, Patrick, and John are still celebrating. From the insight that rights come before—not from—the government, to […]
Listen NowAugust 29, 2025
Short Circuit 391 | 7th Circuit Judicial Conference
Short Circuit traveled to Chicago for a live recording on the eve of the Seventh Circuit’s biannual Judicial Conference. In front of a crowd of […]
Listen NowJanuary 30, 2025
Everything You Eat, Drink, and Wear | Season 3, Ep. 11
Government officials must obtain a warrant before forcibly entering a home (absent consent or an emergency). That rule goes back to the Founding. But in […]
Listen NowJanuary 04, 2024
Short Circuit 305 | Rare as Hen’s Teeth
An old favorite on our first show of 2024, a search incident to arrest. Was it reasonable for the police to open a man’s backpack […]
Listen NowJuly 27, 2023
Short Circuit 282 | Sexy Cops and Decades of Deference
We swing from one legal extreme to another this week. From the First Amendment protecting street entertainers in Vegas on the one hand to deference […]
Listen NowJanuary 05, 2023
Short Circuit 253 | Imaginary Lines
Two tales of the criminal justice system this week, with the Excessive Fines Clause and the Fourth Amendment both playing a part. First, in the […]
Listen NowJuly 07, 2022
Short Circuit 227 | Salt Mines and Open Fields
Ever worked in a salt mine? It seems some non-union employees hadn’t either when their boss joked that they might be sent to one. That […]
Listen NowMarch 11, 2022
Short Circuit 210 | Grand Juries and IRS Interpretations
As news followers over the last few years will know, grand jury records are super secret. But sometimes judges allow the word to get out, […]
Listen Now