Cases – Institute for Justice

First Amendment Retaliation Cases

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation

Arizona Educator Sues County Attorney Whose Hired Thugs Bullied Him Out of Election Campaign

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 race. Now, Fernie is suing over the violation of his First Amendment rights.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Smalltown Newspaper Punished for its Reporting Fights for the First Amendment

Four residents of a small Alabama county were targeted for retaliation by a district attorney and sheriff. Now, they are suing with IJ to protect their constitutional rights.

First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property

Murphy v. Schmitt

Have you ever heard of someone being arrested and sent to jail for walking on the wrong side of the road? Probably not — because police officers never, or almost never,…

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Lawsuit Seeks Accountability for Unconstitutional Raid of a Political Opponent’s Home

Kansas police raided the home of a city councilwoman and seized her phone and computer in retaliation for her criticism of local officials.

Virginia food truck owners file federal lawsuit after raging town councilmember damaged truck, town council repeatedly harassed them

Theslet Benoir and Clemene Bastien are a married couple that immigrated to the United States from Haiti in 2005. They received asylum, settled in Parksley, Virginia, and opened a brick-and-mortar store that caters to the needs of the Eastern Shore’s Haitian population. But the town repeatedly harassed them, so they teamed up with IJ to file a federal lawsuit.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

Lawsuit Seeks Accountability for Unconstitutional Silencing and Arrest During City Council Meeting

A Newton, Iowa, man was arrested twice at city council meetings for criticizing local officials, so he sued to vindicate his First Amendment rights.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability

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

Wayne County prosecutors retaliated against Robert Reeves for joining a lawsuit challenging the county's civil forfeiture program.

4th Amendment Project | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property

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. v. Spring Cook

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…

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.

Meridian 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.

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

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 jail. In 2020, she joined with IJ to sue the city for violating her First Amendment and to hold officials accountable.

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 launching a second voyage with the IJ to get his job back and ensure that no one else has their livelihood taken away because the government has delegated lawmaking power to a self-interested private organization.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Sign Codes

Dangerous Trend: Bulldozing Free Speech

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Sign Codes

Vindicating the Right to Protest Eminent Domain Abuse: Tennesseans Sued by Thin-Skinned Politician and Developers Fight Back

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation

First Amendment Retaliation Cases

Arizona Educator Sues County Attorney Whose Hired Thugs Bullied Him Out of Election Campaign