Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Food Freedom

Lawsuit seeks to strike down regulations that prevent businesses from truthfully labeling products

The First Amendment does not allow the government to decide which facts consumers are allowed to know. Yet the federal government is preventing tens of millions of Americans with sensitive stomachs from receiving the information…

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation

Wayne County Seized His Car Without Evidence. When He Spoke Out, They Filed Criminal Charges to Silence Him. Now He is Fighting Back.

Four years ago, Robert Reeves’ car was seized by police in Detroit using civil forfeiture. Although he was never charged with a crime, police attempted to use civil forfeiture to seize and keep Robert’s 1991…

First Amendment | Sign Codes

High school art class painted donut mural for bakery, town demands their work be painted over

Leavitt's Country Bakery Owner Sean Young filed a federal lawsuit against the town of Conway, after town officials demanded he paint over a mural that was created by local high school students last summer.

First Amendment | Occupational Speech

Right to Provide Legal Advice

Right to Provide Legal Advice Rev. John S. Udo-Okon at Word of Life International Church in the Bronx When wealthy Americans face legal troubles, they have a lot of sources of advice. Legions of…

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Group of immigrant nurses ask Supreme Court to hear case against prosecutor who brought bogus claims against them

A group of immigrant nurses whom rogue prosecutors tried to subject to indentured servitude, and their attorney who was criminally charged for providing legal advice, are asking the United States Supreme Court to hear their…

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Private Property | Vending

Small business owners sue to strike down Jacksonville regulations effectively banning food trucks from city

Jacksonville, North Carolina effectively bans food trucks from operating in 96 percent of the city. That's why a group of small business owners has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit…

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Arrested and Prosecuted for his Reporting, Citizen Journalist Defends His First Amendment Rights with Federal Lawsuit

Justin Pulliam, a citizen journalist in Texas, was arrested and prosecuted for his reporting on the activities of the Fort Bend County Sheriff. He is defending his First Amendment rights with a federal lawsuit.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

J.T.H., et al v. Spring Cook, et al.

Investigations can be an effective tool for intimidation. Government officials across the ideological spectrum weaponize this power to punish those who speak out against them. The stories of junk investigations are legion. Los Angeles just…

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

Entrepreneur Fined $1,000 for Using Public Information to Draw Lines on Maps Files Federal Lawsuit Against California

Do you need a government license to trace a map from publicly available data? It might sound ridiculous, but in California the answer is “yes.” An entrepreneur joined with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to…

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Ohio Man Arrested and Prosecuted for Facebook Joke Appeals to Supreme Court

Anthony Novak was arrested by his local police after he parodied the department on Facebook. His lawsuit against the city was dismissed after the officers were given qualified immunity.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Louisiana Man Arrested for Facebook Joke Seeks to Hold Sheriff’s Deputies Accountable

Waylon Bailey was arrested after making a joke about his local sheriff's office. His First Amendment lawsuit was dismissed after the deputies were granted qualified immunity.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Private Property | Right to Shelter

Woman fights city’s ban on living in tiny homes on wheels, which has left her homeless

Chasidy Decker is a native to the Boise area who wants to live in the tiny home that suits her.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Political Speech

East Cleveland’s Government Weaponized its Police to Punish a Political Opponent. He’s Fighting to Hold It Accountable.

Cities can’t use the police to punish political speech.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation

IJ Joins Fight to End Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit in Wisconsin

National Public Interest Law Firm Joins Fight to End Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit in Wisconsin. IJ Defends a Community Activist Against a Village Attorney’s Frivolous and Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit…

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…

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

North Carolina Board Tells Retired Engineer He Can’t Talk About Engineering

Wayne Nutt is a retired engineer who still talks about engineering and wanted to testify as an expert witness in a case that involved engineering issues. The state of North Carolina argued Wayne’s testimony was…

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

Virginia therapist launches a second First Amendment challenge to protect the right to practice talk therapy online across state lines

Elizabeth Brokamp uses talk therapy to help people improve their lives. When one of her clients relocated to New York she was able to continue speaking with the client online. She’s licensed in Virginia, where…

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing

North Carolina’s Surveying Board Grounds Small-Business Drone Operators

Michael Jones uses his drone to take photos for clients, but North Carolina argues that in doing so he’s practicing “land surveying” and needs a license. However, that’s not at all what he’s doing and…

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…

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Private Property

Small Wisconsin Town Weaponizes Code Enforcement to Enrich a Private Law Firm and Target Its Critics

The town of Eagle, WI works with a private law firm to punish residents who speak out against town officials by hitting them with excessive fines and fees through the code enforcement process. Victims of…

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Texas woman fights back after local officials in Castle Hills have her arrested and jailed for criticizing city government

After she won her election to city council, Sylvia Gonzalez immediately began getting harassed by city officials whom she had criticized in the past. It got so bad she was even arrested and thrown in…

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…

Economic Liberty | First Amendment

State Funeral Bureau opposes resurgence of a meaningful American tradition

Akhila Murphy and Donna Peizer are end of life doulas – they offer families assistance during at-home funerals. They don’t direct funerals, but California has argued they are acting as unlicensed funeral directors. With the…

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…

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing

Lawsuit Challenges Arizona Engineering Licensing Law

Greg Mills has been an engineer for more than 30 years, but now a group of industry insiders on a government board are saying he needs a license he does not actually need. IJ and…

First Amendment

Charlottesville Treats Members of Its Creative Community Like ATMs

The city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County have decided to require a license for freelance writers and have made writers pay thousands in back taxes. This irrational law favors some speakers, like the traditional press,…

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…

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…

Fines and Fees | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Private Property

Ron Mugar successfully stopped the city's plan to take his home—and they're still making him pay

Ron Mugar successfully saved his home in court from being taken by the city in a process called a receivership. But the receiver nonetheless charged Ron over $60,000 for “obstructive tactics” just for defending himself.

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Transportation

Coast Guard-empowered private association concocts reasons to keep an experienced captain from working

Captain Matthew Hight thought he would earn a living navigating cargo carriers on the Great Lakes. Instead, an unholy alliance of a federal bureaucracy and a legalized monopoly suddenly rendered him a castaway. Now he’s…