IJ's Cases
Featured Cases
Alaska Pilot Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Stop State from Taking His $95,000 Airplane for Passenger’s Beer
The Case April 3rd, 2012, began like any other day for Ken Jouppi, a longtime bush pilot in Alaska. He was scheduled to fly a passenger and her groceries from Fairbanks to the village of Beaver. Hidden in the passenger’s luggage, though, were two cases of Budweiser, along with four additional six-packs. They were intended as a gift to…
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U.S. Supreme Court Cases
IJ has argued 13 cases before the United States Supreme Court, winning 11. These landmark cases have expanded constitutional protections for all Americans.
Immunity and Accountability | Rule of Law
The FBI Raided the Wrong Home—the Government Refuses to Pay for the Damage
FBI agents raided the wrong home in suburban Atlanta. Now the federal government refuses to compensate the victims even though Congress passed a law permitting suits for damages caused by federal employees.
Immunity and Accountability | Rule of Law
Taking on The Shell Games That Allow Federal/State Task Force Members To Violate Your Rights
After misidentifying him as a non-violent fugitive, police brutally beat James King, choked him unconscious, and then prosecuted him to hide their mistake.
Immunity and Accountability | Rule of Law
Federal lawsuit seeks to revive the Fourth Amendment’s requirements for warrants
The Fourth Amendment requires that warrants be supported by “oath or affirmation” but that requirement means almost nothing today because of a decades old Supreme Court decision. Michael Mendenhall’s case could revive the original meaning and protect people from unreasonable searches.
All Cases
First Amendment | Sign Codes
Federal Appellate Court OKs City’s Crackdown on Protest Sign: 4th Circuit fails to protect Norfolk business’ eminent domain protest banner; lawyers, business owners vow appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
In a double blow to free speech and property rights, Norfolk, Va., tried not only to take a thriving business through its power of eminent domain but also censor a highly visible sign that protested the unlawful condemnation.
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing | Transportation
Protectionism in Portland, Ore.: City Threatened $895,000 in Fines For Limo Entrepreneurs Who Offered Groupon Discounts
Portland, Ore., cannot constitutionally set transportation prices and make limousine and sedan customers wait for service merely to protect taxis from competition.
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
A Successful Challenge to the IRS’s Authority To License Tax Preparers
IJ successfully challenged the IRS’s authority to license tax return preparers. If the licensing scheme had not been struck down, some 350,000 tax return preparers would have been burdened by the new regulations, much to the benefit of entrenched special interests.
Economic Liberty
Putting Useless Government Requirements to Rest: Challenging Minnesota’s Requirement That All Funeral Homes Have Embalming Rooms
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech | Tour Guides
Challenging New Orleans’ Tour-Guide Licensing Scheme
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing | Teeth Whitening
A Reason to Smile in the Constitution State: Entrepreneurs Challenge Connecticut’s Teeth-Whitening Monopoly
Connecticut’s prohibition on non-dentist teeth whitening was never about protecting consumers; it was about protecting dentists from honest competition.
First Amendment
Arizona Citizen Files First Amendment Lawsuit Challenging Speech Regulations
Arizona wants to bar people from joining together to protest local ballot measures without first registering with the government.
Private Property | Rental Caps
Slamming the Door on Rental Bans: Winona Homeowners Stand Up for Their Property Rights
Government officials in Winona, Minn., are imposing a restriction on the number of homeowners who can rent out their properties, harming both homeowners and renters alike. Not only is this policy unwise, it is also unconstitutional.
First Amendment
Protecting Citizen Speech: Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of Mississippi Campaign Finance Regulations Continues Nationwide Campaign
Thanks to Mississippi’s burdensome campaign finance laws, groups of concerned citizens need more than just their opinions to speak about politics. They also need a lawyer.
Economic Liberty | Transportation
Charting a New Course for Economic Liberty: Challenging Lake Chelan’s Government-Imposed Ferry Monopoly Under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities Clause
Jim and Cliff Courtney have a plan to bring economic prosperity to their small community. Unfortunately, the state of Washington has sunk their plan with a law that requires them to obtain a certificate of “public convenience and necessity” from the state in order to pick up and drop off passengers.
Economic Liberty | Vending
Vindicating the Right to Earn an Honest Living Under the Florida Constitution: IJ Files Suit on Behalf of Vendors in Hialeah, Fla.
Street vendors are a core part of the American Dream. But Hialeah, Fla., needlessly makes it difficult for street vendors to earn an honest living.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Fighting Civil Forfeiture Abuse: Federal & Local Law Enforcement Agencies Try to Take Family Motel from Innocent Owners
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing | Transportation
Taking on the Taxi Cartel Challenging Milwaukee’s Unconstitutional Taxicab Law
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Defending Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts: Parents of Special Needs Children Must Again Defend Their Right to Choose Their Children’s Educational Options
Economic Liberty | Vending
Atlanta Strikes: Out Challenging Atlanta, Georgia’s Unconstitutional Vending Monopoly
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
IJ Successfully Defended Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program
Cosmetology | Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
Will Arizona Courts Leave Protection of Individual Liberty Threadbare?: Arizona Eyebrow Threaders Fight Irrational Licensing Scheme
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Defending Parents’ Right to Choose Their Children’s Schools: Douglas County, Colorado’s Innovative Scholarship Program Is Constitutional
In Colorado, Douglas County created an innovative school choice program that offers modest scholarships to hundreds of students at a fraction of the cost of getting a public school education.
First Amendment
Campaign Finance Laws versus Good Government: Washington’s Laws Frustrate the People’s Ability to Recall Abusive Elected Officials
Economic Liberty | Hair Braiding | Occupational Licensing
