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
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
South Carolina ESAs
Columbia, South Carolina
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 like tuition and fees at private and out-of-district public schools, curricula and supplies for homeschooling, tutoring, therapies, exams, and extracurricular activities. A new constitutional lawsuit…
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…
4th Amendment Project | Private Property
Norfolk, VA Camera Surveillance
Norfolk, Virginia has installed more than 170 cameras across the city that watch drivers’ every movement. Now, two Norfolk-area residents have teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a federal lawsuit challenging the…
St. Louis Signs
In a double blow to free speech and property rights, St. Louis not only threatened to take an entire neighborhood for private development. It also tried to censor a powerful mural that protests the city’s…
4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Red Wing Rental Inspections
Under Red Wing, Minn.’s rental inspection ordinance, it is easier for the government to force its way into the homes of law-abiding citizens than to search the home of a suspected criminal.
