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

Eminent Domain | Private Property
Bowers v. Oneida County Industrial Development Agency
Utica, New York
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 said it was perfectly fine for a county redevelopment agency to condemn his property and give it to a rival developer to use as a…

Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
South Carolina ESAs
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…

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…

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…

Housing Abundance and Affordability | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Seattle Housing Affordability
Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability law is making it unaffordable to build housing.

First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
Anilao Cert Petition
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
North Carolina Food Trucks
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
Fort Bend Retaliation
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.

Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Yassin v. Weyker
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. v. Spring Cook
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
West Virginia Judicial Field Trip
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…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Indiana Jury Trials
Indiana Jury Trials The right to a trial by jury is fundamental to our system of justice. Particularly when the government is trying to confiscate property, the jury (as one court has put it) “stands…

4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Louisiana Traffic Stop
Mario Rosales and his girlfriend were pulled over for failing to signal, but a police camera clearly showed him signaling. Now Mario is suing over the Alexandria Police Department's "fishing trip" traffic stops.

4th Amendment Project | Private Property
Michigan Drone Surveillance
Todd and Heather Maxon live on a five-acre property in rural Long Lake Township, in northern Michigan. Todd spends his free time fixing up and tinkering with cars and other vehicles. He keeps those vehicles…