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.

Eminent Domain | Private Property
Norwood, Ohio Homeowners & Small Businesses Battle City & Private Developer Over Eminent Domain Abuse

Commercial Speech | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Banning “For Sale” Signs: The Latest Sign of a Growing Nanny State

Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Food Freedom | Sign Codes
Vindicating Free Speech: City of Redmond Sign Ordinance Punches Hole in Bagel Entrepreneur’s First Amendment Rights
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Ending Prosecution for Profit in Utah: Citizens Demand Prosecutors Follow State’s Civil Forfeiture Law
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Securing Educational Opportunity For Colorado Families: Institute for Justice and Colorado Parents Defend Historic Parental Choice Program

Eminent Domain | Private Property
Ohio’s “City of Homes” Faces Wrecking Ball of Eminent Domain Abuse: Homeowners Challenge Bogus “Blight” Designation

Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
A Web of Restrictions?: Challenging California’s Free Speech Restrictions on Internet Real Estate Advertising Sites


