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.
IJ wins three out of four cases through outright courtroom victories or legislative change prompted by our lawsuits.
Featured Cases
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Bowers v. Oneida County Industrial Development Agency
Utica, New York
Can the government take your property just to hand it over to your business competitor? That is the question New York developer Bryan Bowers is asking the United States Supreme Court after New York’s courts said it was perfectly fine for a county redevelopment agency to condemn his property and give it to a rival developer to use as a…
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…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
Atmore, Alabama Retaliation
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.
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Texas Fresh Start Social Worker
Texas—and the country—face a two-fold problem: an exploding mental health and substance abuse crisis and a dire shortage of professional social workers to address those issues. Yet rather than make it easier for qualified applicants…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Timbs v. Indiana
U.S. Supreme Court Opinon Final Victory for Tyson Timbs Case Video…
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom
New Jersey Baked Goods Ban
Up until 2021, New Jersey was the only state in the country that prevented home bakers from selling homemade baked goods. After years of litigation from IJ and several home bakers, New Jersey finally ended…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Nashville Home-Based Business
Lij Shaw and Pat Raynor both run successful businesses within their own homes – one a recording studio, the other a hair salon. But one day, the city of Nashville threatened them with fines unless…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Wyoming Forfeiture
IJ successfully represented Phil Parhamovich, a musician from Madison, Wisconsin who had his life savings of $91,800 seized by Wyoming law enforcement during a traffic stop on I-80 near Cheyenne. Phil was never charged, much…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Speech
California Trade Schools
California used to require individuals to get a high school degree or equivalent if they wanted to enroll in a trade school, like Bob Smith’s horseshoeing school. After IJ stepped in on Bob’s behalf, the…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Florida Diet Coaching
Florida requires a license in order to provide dietary advice to a customer. Diet advice is simply a type of speech that should be protected by the First Amendment, and that’s why Heather Kokesch Del…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Eagle Pass Forfeiture
Border Patrol Agents used a flimsy excuse to seize Gerardo Serrano’s truck, then held it for two years. IJ asked the Supreme Court to hear Gerardo’s case, but unfortunately the court declined to do so.
Cosmetology | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
North Carolina Makeup Schools
Jasna Bukvic-Bhayani is a North Carolina-based professional makeup artist who wanted to open up a school to teach others how to apply makeup like her. But the state wanted her to open a full-fledged esthetics…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Jarreau v. South LaFourche Levee District
On behalf of a Louisiana dirt farmer, IJ filed a cert petition to the United States Supreme Court to determine if the government must pay you for losses incurred when it destroys your business through…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
Pennsylvania Property Management
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…
Louisville Vending
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…
Iowa Certificate of Need
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.