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.
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…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Leonard Hoffmann v. WBI Energy Transmission
North Dakota ranchers fought a pipeline company with eminent domain power for the fair value of their land. But an appeals court said the company did not have to pay the ranchers’ attorney fees. That…
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.
See IJ’s Supreme Court Cases
Wyoming School Choice
Wyoming families intervene to defend education savings accounts for parents who choose alternatives to public school.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
South Carolina ESAs
In 2023, South Carolina created the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (“ESTF”) program. This student aid program grants thousands of qualifying, low-income families a $6,000 scholarship that parents can use for educational expenses for their children—things…
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Arkansas School Choice
Arkansas parents defend a state program that provides eligible families with thousands of dollars to cover certain educational expenses.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Utah Educational Savings Account Program
Utah families intervene to defend the Utah Fits All scholarship program, so that families have more choice with their children's' educational opportunities.
Massachusetts School Choice
Massachusetts families are fighting for the right to receive special education services at the schools their children attend.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Alaska School Choice
Alaska families intervene to defend a correspondence school program that gives them more options for their children's education.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
New Hampshire School Choice
New Hampshire families are poised to defend the state’s Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) from a legal challenge.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
West Virginia School Choice
West Virginia parents intervene to defend one of the nation's best school choice programs to help obtain the education that will best meet the needs of their children.
Ohio School Choice
Two of Ohio’s most popular educational choice programs are under attack. This IJ suit seeks to defend these programs, which tens of thousands of Ohio students depend on.
Kentucky School Choice
In March 2021, Kentucky created a school choice program that benefits thousands of low-and-middle-income families throughout the state. Just a few months later, a lawsuit attacked the program. IJ has intervened on behalf of two…
Vermont Educational Choice
Vermont has one of the most robust school choice programs in the country, but there is one massive exception. The state does not provide the tuition benefit for parents who want to send their children…
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
New Hampshire Town Tuitioning
The town of Croydon, New Hampshire does not operate a middle school and instead pays students’ tuition at nearby public or private schools. But a New Hampshire law prevented Croydon families from spending the money…