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

Listeners’ Guide to Martin v. US
Atlanta, Georgia
Supreme Court Argument Resources Find out more about the case Brief for Petitioners Supreme Court Docket Listen Live on April 29 at 10am Media Contact Andrew [email protected](703) 298-5938 Video FBI Raids the Wrong House. Terrorizes Family Photo Gallery…

4th Amendment Project | Economic Liberty | Private Property
FinCEN Border Cash Surveillance
Esperanza Gomez and Arnoldo Gonzalez, Jr. run small businesses near the U.S.-Mexico border that provide everyday, small-dollar financial services—often for customers without bank accounts. In San Diego, Esperanza helps customers cash checks (often to buy…

Immunity and Accountability | Private Property | SWAT Destruction
North Carolina SWAT Destruction
When a SWAT team raids a family’s home in the middle of the night, the officers ought to be very sure they have the right house. But no officer did that the night a SWAT…

Eminent Domain | Private Property
Bowers v. Oneida County Industrial Development Agency
Can the government take your property just to hand it over to your business competitor? That is the question New York developer Bryan Bowers is asking the United States Supreme Court after New York’s courts…

Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Wine
New York Wine
U.S. Supreme Court Opinion Victory for Vintners In Wine Wars! IJ’s Food Freedom Initiative…



Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Cleveland, Ohio, School Choice (Federal Case)
U.S. Supreme Court Opinion Victory for School Choice Cleveland, Ohio, School Choice (State Case)…


Educational Choice | Tax Credit Scholarships
Arizona Individual Tax Credit Scholarships (State)
In 1997, Arizona adopted the nation’s first statewide tax credit scholarship program. The program allowed individuals who donate to School Tuition Organizations (STOs) to take a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their state income taxes, up…