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
First Amendment | Sign Codes
High school art class painted donut mural for bakery, town demands their work be painted over
Conway, New Hampshire
Leavitt’s Country Bakery Owner Sean Young filed a federal lawsuit against the town of Conway, after town officials demanded he paint over a mural that was created by local high school students last summer.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Alaska School Choice
As a sparsely populated state, Alaska faces unique challenges in ensuring that all children can receive an education. To address this concern, the state created “correspondence programs,” in which a student’s public school used the…
First Amendment | Occupational Speech
Right to Provide Legal Advice
Cases Rev. John S. Udo-Okon at Word of Life International Church in the Bronx When wealthy Americans face legal troubles, they have a lot of sources of advice. Legions of lawyers, business consultants, accountants…
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Seattle Housing Affordability
Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability law is making it unaffordable to build housing.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Miami Woman Appeals to the Supreme Court to Get Back Every Dollar Federal Agents Wrongly Took From Her
Miladis Salgado returned home one day to find the DEA had seized her life savings, even though she did nothing wrong. Her money was eventually given back to her, but the government should not be…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Pennsylvania newspaper fights local district attorney to make forfeiture records public
Americans have a right to know details about misdeeds being committed by their government. LancasterOnline, a publication in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, worked with IJ to ensure citizens have access to information about what police are taking…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
U.S. Customs & Border Protection Unlawfully Seizes Cleveland Family’s Life Savings, Won’t Give It Back
Rustem Kazazi, a retired police officer from Albania, who now leaves in a Cleveland suburb, was flying home to Albania when Customs and Border Patrol stripped him naked and took his family’s money through the…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Nurse Files Class Action Challenging CBP’s Abusive Civil Forfeiture Practices
Anthonia Nwaorie, a registered nurse and grandmother from Texas was flying to see family in Nigeria when Customs and Border Patrol took her life savings without ever charging her with a crime. So, she joined…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
There ARE Limits: IJ Takes Excessive Fines Case to the U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Supreme Court Opinon Final Victory for Tyson Timbs Case Video…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Wyoming law enforcement pressures drivers to sign a form “giving” their cash to law enforcement agencies and waiving any right to court proceedings.
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…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Border Patrol Agents Used a Flimsy Excuse to Seize A Man’s Truck, Then Held It for Two Years, Refusing His Requests for a Hearing. He Is Now Appealing His Case to the U.S. Supreme Court, Calling for Prompt Hearings After Vehicle Seizures
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.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
San Diego District Attorney Seizes Every Penny from a Local Family Without Charging Anyone with a Crime
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Innocent Couple Challenges Arizona’s Rigged Civil Forfeiture System
Similar Cases Complaint Latest Release…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Enforcing Landmark Civil Forfeiture Reforms To Shut Down An Unconstitutional Forfeiture Machine
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
IRS Seizes First, Questions Later— Much Later
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property