IJ Pillar
Rule of Law
IJ fights for individual freedom when it’s threatened by unchecked abuse of government power.
The Institute for Justice fights to uphold the rule of law—put simply, the idea that government power is limited by law. The rule of law ensures that, when the government exercises its power to restrict the ordinary activities of its citizens, it must do so within constitutional limits, through just procedures, and subject to meaningful accountability. The rule of law protects freedom by ensuring fairness and providing recourse when the government violates individual rights.
One way to understand IJ’s work in this area is that IJ holds government to the law before, during, and after the fact:
IJ’s cases focus on areas where the rule of law protects the ability of ordinary people to lead peaceful and productive lives, whether they are farmers forced to defend themselves against ruinous fines in rigged agency courts; drivers subjected to roving surveillance; or homeowners raided by SWAT teams based on a mistaken address.
By fighting to uphold structures and procedures that limit the unfettered exercise of government power, we protect individual liberty from arbitrary action.
Rule of Law Issues
Fines and Fees
IJ fights to stop taxation by citation and policing for profit.
Project on Immunity and Accountability
IJ combats legal doctrines that stand in the way of meaningful accountability for government mistakes and misconduct.
Unjust Proceedings
IJ fights to ensure that individuals targeted for fines, forfeitures, or other government penalties get a fair trial in a real court.
Warrantless Surveillance
IJ fights government surveillance programs that gather private information about the ordinary activities of innocent people.
Rule of Law Cases
Rule of Law | Unjust Proceedings
Listeners’ Guide to Department of Labor v. Sun Valley Orchards
Oral Argument Frequently Asked Questions What happened to Sun Valley Orchards? Sun Valley Orchards was run by the Marino family in southern New Jersey for four generations. Vegetable farming is labor…
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Rule of Law
Chicago Homeowner Sues After Warrantless Raid by Federal Agents
When federal agents ransack an innocent homeowner’s private property without a warrant, it’s a clear violation of the Constitution, and there must be a way to hold them accountable.
Immunity and Accountability | Rule of Law
Long Island Man Fights for His Day in Court
An experienced electrician was badly shocked due to a government employee's mistake. Now, he's fighting for his day in court.
Fines and Fees | Private Property | Rule of Law
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will decide whether the government’s fining a retiree out of his life’s savings for a paperwork violation is an “excessive fine.”
The Case Eighty-eight-year-old retiree Tuncay Saydam is at risk of losing his life’s savings. Not because of a bad investment or a fraudulent scheme. Rather, the federal government is trying to…
4th Amendment Project | License Plate Readers | Rule of Law | Warrantless Surveillance
San Jose residents file federal lawsuit challenging city's use of nearly 500 license plate reader cameras
San Jose residents file federal class action lawsuit challenging city's use of nearly 500 license plate read cameras.
Rule of Law News
Court Denies Immunity for Judge Who Personally Jailed Two Innocent Kids, Upholds Damages
ST. LOUIS, Mo.—On Tuesday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a judge who personally jailed two innocent children after a 2019 custody hearing is not entitled to qualified immunity…
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Denver Man’s Case to Revive Fourth Amendment’s Warrant Requirements
WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a Denver man who challenged the constitutionality of a warrant that led to his wrongful arrest. Michael Mendenhall’s townhome was…
Federal Court Grants Preliminary Approval to Settlement in Brookside, Alabama Policing-for-Profit Lawsuit
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—A federal court granted preliminary approval of a class-action settlement in the Institute for Justice’s (IJ) policing-for-profit lawsuit against the town of Brookside, Alabama. Class members will soon be…
Federal Jury Strikes Down Texas Sheriff’s Surveillance-Driven Traffic Stop Program
SAN ANTONIO—Today, a jury in federal court found Bexar County liable for running an unconstitutional traffic stop scheme that turned mass surveillance of American drivers into a pipeline of pretextual traffic…
Victory! Court Rejects Qualified Immunity in Louisiana Motorists’ Case, Allowing Fourth Amendment Claims of an Unconstitutional Traffic Stop to Continue
NEW OLREANS—For nearly four years, Mario Rosales and Gracie Lasyone have pursued justice over an unconstitutional traffic stop and roadside questioning by two Alexandria, Louisiana, police officers. Last year, Mario and…
How Flock is trying to take credit for the post-pandemic crime drop
Boosters of automated license plate reader (ALPR) surveillance make grand claims about the capabilities of their technology. Flock Safety, for instance, says its mission is to “eliminate…
Rule of Law Legislation
Immunity and Accountability
Protecting Everyone’s Constitutional Rights Act (PECRA)
This model bill guarantees that if citizens must follow the law, state and local government officials must follow the Constitution.
Fines and Fees | Private Property
Fair Funding for Courts Act
The justice system is a core government function that benefits all Americans. State legislators should fund courts from general revenue, not from individuals involved in the system. Fees charged to users of the judicial system are hidden taxes that cause numerous problems. …
Immunity and Accountability
Protecting Everyone’s Constitutional Rights Ordinance (PECRO)
Constitutional rights mean little without a practical way to enforce them. Yet many people whose rights are violated by state or local officials never receive a remedy because of immunity doctrines and procedural barriers…
Immunity and Accountability
State Court Remedies for Constitutional Violations by Federal Employees Act
State legislators’ most important responsibility is to protect rights under the laws and constitutions of the United States and its states. This responsibility includes providing a remedy of damages against government officials who violate those rights.
Fines and Fees
Fines and Fees Reporting Act
Most municipalities allow law or code enforcement officers to cite residents for violations that may result in fines. Unfortunately, some use this power to generate revenue rather than solely to protect public safety and…
Rule of Law Research
Immunity and Accountability
Qualified Immunity, Quantified: How America’s Most Controversial Legal Doctrine Thwarts Civil Rights Plaintiffs
Drawing on the largest study of qualified immunity appeals to date, the authors argue that the doctrine extends far beyond split-second policing decisions and poses substantial obstacles for civil rights plaintiffs. Suggested citation:…
Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Are Municipal Fines and Fees Tools of Stategraft?
Most, if not all, incorporated communities in the United States have municipal and traffic codes that delineate the powers and duties of local governments or provide rules and regulations for public activity in the…
Rule of Law Podcasts
November 02, 2026
License Plate Camera Abuse: DOCUMENTED
Automated license plate cameras were sold to towns across America as a way to catch car thieves and find missing kids. What those towns bought […]
Listen NowJanuary 08, 2026
Americans Keep Getting Caught Up In Immigration Raids
Leo Garcia Venegas and George Retes were simply trying to work, when they got ensnared by dragnet federal immigration raids. Even though both men identified […]
Listen NowAugust 25, 2025
Cop’s Lies Sent Innocent Girls to Prison…Still Employed.
In this episode, we bring you the disturbing story of St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker, whose lies led to the wrongful prosecution of dozens […]
Listen NowOctober 24, 2024
Officer Caught Snitching on Domestic Abuse Victim
In 2013, a Clovis, California police officer found out that his girlfriend Desiree Martinez had reported him for physically abusing her—while Desiree was trapped in […]
Listen Now