Institute for Justice
February 2017, Volume 26, Issue 1
Victory in the Land of Opportunity
In December, IJ scored a major victory when an Arkansas judge struck down Little Rock’s government-created taxi monopoly as unconstitutional. We represented Ken Leininger, who wanted to start a new taxi business after spending years driving for the city’s sole taxi company. But the city banned new companies from competing with the one taxi business…
Keeping a Home for the Holidays
After more than a year of fighting to protect their home of 37 years from eminent domain abuse, Karen and Bruce Tuscher have shown you can fight City Hall. Karen and Bruce first learned that their property was under attack through a letter inviting them to a special Planning Board meeting in May 2015. At…
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Hosts World Premiere of ‘Little Pink House’ Movie
Little Pink House is a feature film that tells the true story of IJ client Susette Kelo, a blue-collar woman whose historic fight to defend her home and neighborhood from government and corporate power brokers went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court—a battle that inspired the nation. The film stars two-time Academy Award…
How IJ Helped Blaze a Trail with the Bagel King of Seattle
The experience of IJ’s client Dennis Ballen and his bagel shop, Blazing Bagels, shows what can happen when an entrepreneur provides the public with something they want. What began as a small shop in a difficult-to-find location—with only 10 employees and selling 500–600 bagels per day—is now a successful and growing Puget Sound business, with…
Our Client Got Her Car Back, But Her Lawsuit Keeps Running
For eight months, Arlene Harjo’s car sat in an impound lot in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Now, thanks to IJ, the city has given back the car. But this is not the end of the story: Arlene will continue to fight to shut down Albuquerque’s civil forfeiture machine. Arlene’s story began early on a Saturday afternoon,…
IJ Sues Feds for Forfeiture Records
Late last year, IJ sued two federal agencies—the IRS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection—for flouting the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and hindering access to databases detailing the government’s forfeiture activity. IJ requested the databases in March 2015, but over a year and a half later, neither agency has produced any forfeiture records. The…
Transparently Bad
After publishing nearly a dozen studies on forfeiture, IJ’s strategic research team has learned a great deal—not least, that there is still too much about the use of forfeiture that remains hidden from public view. Our 12th forfeiture report, Forfeiture Transparency & Accountability: State-by-State and Federal Report Cards, released in January, examines this troubling lack…
Smooth Landing for Airport Forfeiture Victim
In an early Christmas present, the federal government dropped its forfeiture case against Charles Clarke, the college student who had his money seized three years ago at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, and gave back his $11,000 plus interest. IJ first represented Charles in 2014 and the case quickly gained national attention. As the judge…
Georgia Educational Freedom on our Mind
On January 23, IJ Senior Attorney Tim Keller appeared before the Georgia Supreme Court, arguing that it should turn back a legal challenge to a popular tax-credit scholarship program. By using tax credits to incentivize private donations, the program helps over 13,000 children attend the schools their parents choose for them. Opponents of school choice…
2017 Is the Year of School Choice
School choice continues to build momentum. In 2016, IJ successfully defended five school choice programs and helped another state write legislation for new programs. We expect 2017 to be another great year—maybe the best so far. The legal victories were huge. In Florida, we successfully defended two popular programs that serve more than 87,000 children,…
