IJ's Cases

Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

AirBnB Property Manager Files Constitutional Challenge To Pa. Real Estate Licensing Regime

Sally helps people list their homes for short-term vacation rentals, but one day she received a call from the Pennsylvania Department of State arguing she was engaging in unlicensed real estate. She was told she would need to spend three years working for an established broker, pass two exams, and set up her own brick-and-mortar office in Pennsylvania. Instead, she enlisted the help of IJ to fight back against this unreasonable restriction on her economic liberty.

Economic Liberty | Vending

Derby City Betting Against Food Trucks

City Council members in Louisville worked closely with established brick-and-mortar restaurants to keep out food truck competition. IJ secured a federal court order barring the city from discriminating against food trucks and then successfully worked to prevent a city council member from undermining the order.

Economic Liberty | Health

Ending Iowa's CON Laws That Limit Medical Options and Enrich Established Businesses

For more than twenty years, Dr. Lee Birchansky tried to offer his patients the option of having their cataract and other outpatient eye surgeries in a center right next to his office in Cedar Rapids. But the state of Iowa stymied his efforts to open his own surgery center, forcing him to perform these surgeries at his competitors’ facilities.

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

Illegal Math? A state board in Oregon is punishing people for talking about traffic lights and any other “engineering” topics

Mats Järlström is an engineer, and he used those skills to criticize the formula used on red lights, suggesting the yellow lights should last a little longer. He was hit with a $500 fine from the state of Oregon and told he could not refer to himself as an “engineer.” After fighting back, with help from IJ, a court held that Mats could safely talk about his traffic-light theories. And the court further held that the state cannot punish Mats—or anyone else—for describing themselves truthfully using the word “engineer.”

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.

Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Wine

Minnesota Farm Wineries Fight for Free Trade

A little-known but onerous state law prevented Minnesota vineyards from making a majority of their wine from grapes grown outside Minnesota. IJ partnered with two vineyards to fight this law, and eventually a federal district court ruled that cap violated the Constitution, and vineyards were freed from this prohibition.

4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections

Pennsylvania Tenants and Landlord Challenge Unconstitutional Inspections of Homes

Pottstown, Pennsylvania has a rental inspection law that forces landlords and tenants to open their properties and homes to submit to intrusive inspections. On behalf of multiple tenants and a landlord, IJ is challenging this intrusive law that violates the Fourth Amendment.

Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property

Eminent Domain in Disguise: Putting an End to Charlestown, Ind.’s Unconstitutional Home Inspection Scheme

A small-town mayor in rural Indiana has made it his personal mission to oust the residents of a tight-knit working-class neighborhood, bulldoze their homes and build a fancy new subdivision for much wealthier people. The only things standing in his way are a plethora of state statutes, the Indiana and U.S. constitutions and IJ, which has filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of dozens of property owners.

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property

San Diego District Attorney Seizes Every Penny from a Local Family Without Charging Anyone with a Crime

Economic Liberty | Health | Occupational Licensing

South Carolina Clamps Down On Online Medicine to Protect Profits of Established Businesses

Rule of Law | Unjust Proceedings

Waive Your Rights or Else: Challenging NYPD’s Use of “No-Fault” Eviction to Compel Innocent Residents and Businesses to Give Up Constitutional Rights

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property

Innocent Couple Challenges Arizona’s Rigged Civil Forfeiture System

Eminent Domain | Private Property

Stopping Kelo From Happening Again

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property

Enforcing Landmark Civil Forfeiture Reforms To Shut Down An Unconstitutional Forfeiture Machine

First Amendment

Alabama prohibits nonprofit worker from speaking and petitioning the government unless she first flies to Alabama to take a government-mandated ethics class

First Amendment | Political Speech

Recent Court of Appeals Ruling Disarms Political Speakers, Empowers Campaign Finance Bullies

Eminent Domain | Private Property

Georgia Land Grab: City Seeks to Bulldoze Family-owned Small Business

Cosmetology | Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

Hanging by a Thread: Louisiana Eyebrow Threaders Fight for the Right to Earn an Honest Living

Lata Jagtiani, Ushaben Chudasama and Panna Shah have partnered with the Institute for Justice to fight for her right to earn an honest living threading eyebrows in Louisiana.

Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project

Land Grab in Dallas

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property

IRS Seizes First, Questions Later— Much Later