Commercial Speech Cases
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Institute for Justice joins lawsuit defending family bar threatened with fines and even jail time for using “barbershop” theme to honor owners’ late father
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…
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Equine Body Work Teachers Sue Wisconsin for Violation of First Amendment Right to Occupational Speech
Jim Masterson has been working with animals for almost 30 years. But Wisconsin said he can’t teach without subjecting Jim’s school to an all-encompassing review of everything from Jim’s curriculum to intrusive inquiries into his business model.
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
Small Business Challenges Oklahoma's Unconstitutional Restrictions on Casket Sales
Small business challenges Oklahoma's unconstitutional restrictions on casket sales
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Nazareth, Pennsylvania man sues over law criminalizing 'for sale' signs on cars parked on streets
Nazareth, Pennsylvania criminalizes the act of putting 'for sale' signs on cars that are parked on the street. Nazareth resident Will Cramer has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit challenging this law.
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment
Small Business Owner Sues Illinois for the Right to Help Property Owners Claim Their Lost Property
Illinois demanded David Knott get a private detective license—complete with training in crime scenes and firearms—just to help people recover their forgotten property.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Owner of medical cannabis dispensary files federal lawsuit challenging Mississippi's ban on truthful advertising
If it’s legal to sell a product, it’s also legal to talk about that product. But not in Mississippi—at least not if the product is medical marijuana. In 2022 Mississippi…
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Food Freedom
Lawsuit Seeks to Strike Down Regulations that Prevent Businesses From Truthfully Labeling Products
Federal food labeling restrictions prevent tens of millions of Americans with sensitive stomachs from receiving the information they need about low-FODMAP foods.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Food Freedom
Oklahoma requires vegan products to rewrite their labels to the meat lobby’s satisfaction
Oklahoma requires plant-based meat products to include a massive disclaimer on their label, similar to that seen on tobacco products. IJ is challenging this foolish regulation that does nothing to promote public safety and also violates the First Amendment rights of plant-based meat companies.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
An Arizona county uses its zoning code to suspend constitutional rights
Yavapai County’s zoning system almost crippled Joshua’s and Emily’s wedding retreat business that they were running on their property. The pandemic made it impossible to pursue their legal claims, and so we voluntarily dismissed their challenge. Undeterred, they intend to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams when life returns to normal.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Food Freedom
Mississippi Makes Selling “Veggie Burgers” a Crime
In 2019, after lobbying from the meat industry, Mississippi banned plant-based burgers from using meat-related words, such as burger or hotdog, in their marketing. IJ stepped in to represent plant-based companies in a First Amendment challenge to this law, and eventually the state backed down.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Mandan's "mural police" goes after art the city does not like
In 2019, the city of Mandan told Augie and Brian they’d have to remove their mural because it promoted a business. Augie and Brian successfully teamed up with IJ to stop the town’s law which clearly violated the free speech rights of individuals and businesses.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Outdated Federal Law Threatens Unique Richmond Publisher
Valancourt Books, in Richmond, Virginia, has partnered with IJ to challenge a federal law that requires book publishers to provide two free copies of every book it publishes or face fines that could total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Food Freedom | Food Freedom
Maryland Dairy Farmers Sue for Right to Tell the Truth
The FDA prevented Randy Sowers from labelling his skim milk as “skim milk” even though that’s exactly what it is. The First Amendment protects Randy’s right to tell the truth about his product, and after IJ stepped in to help, the FDA decided to end this enforcement.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Mario, the Classic Video Game Character, Fights City Hall
The town of Orange Park, Florida banned Scott Fisher from putting an inflatable blow-up of the video game character Mario in front of his video game store. IJ and Scott challenged the town’s law that discriminated against commercial speech, and in January 2018, the town amended the sign code, allowing Mario to stay.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Food Freedom
Censored in Florida: Creamery Owner Sues to End Labeling Censorship
Ocheesee Creamery is censored from honestly labeling its skim milk as skim milk.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Food Freedom
Got Free Speech? Oregon Dairy Farmer Challenges Censorship of Raw Milk Advertising
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Sacramento Sign Police Target Small Business: Gym Tells City It Needs To Get With The Program
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Dallas Sign Ban Hurts Small Businesses, Violates First Amendment Rights: Law Makes It Nearly Impossible For Entrepreneurs to Advertise
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Interior Design | Occupational Licensing
Free to Design: Challenging Florida’s Unconstitutional Interior Design Law
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Interior Design
Challenging Oklahoma's Licensing of Speech For Interior Designers
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Interior Design
Challenging Connecticut’s Licensing of Speech For Interior Designers
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Interior Design
Challenging Texas’ Licensing of Speech For Interior Designers
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Interior Design
Challenging New Mexico’s Licensing of Speech For Interior Designers
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Challenging Minnesota’s Advertising and Internet Speech Ban That Bottles Up Wineries and Consumers
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Advertising Ban Is Sign of Big Government: Washington's City of Lynnwood Bans Signs For Businesses But Not for Politicians
Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Banning “For Sale” Signs: The Latest Sign of a Growing Nanny State
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Food Freedom | Sign Codes
Vindicating Free Speech: City of Redmond Sign Ordinance Punches Hole in Bagel Entrepreneur’s First Amendment Rights
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing