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
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Tennessee Couple Fights for Compensation After SWAT Team Destroys Their Home
Who pays when the government destroys private property for a public purpose, such as getting a fugitive off the streets? The answer should be clear: if the government breaks it, the government buys it. That’s…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
California PI License
Jay Fink has a simple business. If you’re a Californian getting too much spam, he’ll look through your junk folder and pull out the emails that might violate California’s anti-spam law. Then you can decide…
First Amendment | Occupational Speech
Minnesota Horse Teaching
The freedom of speech is a cherished Constitutional protection, framed in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. It is a right many Americans take for granted and exercise on a daily basis as…
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Owner of medical cannabis dispensary files federal lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s ban on truthful advertising
If it’s legal to sell a product, it’s also legal to talk about that product. But not in Mississippi—at least not if the product is medical marijuana. In 2022 Mississippi joined the growing number of…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Class Action Challenges FBI’s “Take Now, Explain Never” Forfeitures
Linda Martin's home savings were seized by the FBI. She received a confusing forfeiture notice that didn't clearly say what she did wrong for the government to want to take her money.
High school art class painted donut mural for bakery, town demands their work be painted over
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
Right to Provide Legal Advice 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…
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Seattle Housing Affordability
Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability law is making it unaffordable to build housing.
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
Group of immigrant nurses ask Supreme Court to hear case against prosecutor who brought bogus claims against them
A group of immigrant nurses whom rogue prosecutors tried to subject to indentured servitude, and their attorney who was criminally charged for providing legal advice, are asking the United States Supreme Court to hear their…
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
New Hampshire School Choice
New Hampshire families are poised to defend the state’s Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) from a legal challenge.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Private Property | Vending
Small business owners sue to strike down Jacksonville regulations effectively banning food trucks from city
Jacksonville, North Carolina effectively bans food trucks from operating in 96 percent of the city. That's why a group of small business owners has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit…
4th Amendment Project | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Arrested and Prosecuted for his Reporting, Citizen Journalist Defends His First Amendment Rights with Federal Lawsuit
Justin Pulliam, a citizen journalist in Texas, was arrested and prosecuted for his reporting on the activities of the Fort Bend County Sheriff. He is defending his First Amendment rights with a federal lawsuit.
An Officer’s Lies Ruined the Lives of Dozens, Yet The Courts Protect Her from Accountability
It is well documented that St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker fabricated a crime ring and single-handedly ruined the lives of dozens of people, who she landed in federal prison through what one federal…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
J.T.H., et al v. Spring Cook, et al.
Investigations can be an effective tool for intimidation. Government officials across the ideological spectrum weaponize this power to punish those who speak out against them. The stories of junk investigations are legion. Los Angeles just…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Man fights to uphold court ruling that judges aren't above the law
The Institute for Justice (IJ) teamed up with a West Virginia man whose rights were violated by a Raleigh County family court judge. IJ and Matthew Gibson are urging the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of…