IJ And SPN Establish Chip Mellor Prize For Excellence In Public Interest Litigation
When we announced the passing of our beloved co-founder Chip Mellor in October of last year, we said we would continue to carry forward Chip’s legacy in everything we do at IJ—and recognize what Chip meant to IJ and others fighting to better secure individual rights and to limit abuses by the government.
We are very pleased to announce the creation of the Chip Mellor Prize for Excellence in Public Interest Litigation. Partnering with our friends at the State Policy Network (SPN)—a free-market advocacy group focused on policy and legal change at the state level—the Mellor Prize was created to recognize teams of litigators and advocates who work together to earn significant litigation victories to hold government officials accountable, advocate for civil society and the rule of law, and help the most vulnerable among us who are least able to fight back against injustice.
The Mellor Prize was created to recognize teams of litigators and advocates who work together to earn significant litigation victories to hold government officials accountable, advocate for civil society and the rule of law, and help the most vulnerable among us who are least able to fight back against injustice.
The Mellor Prize, which comes with a $100,000 grant to the recipient, will be awarded periodically by SPN with significant input from IJ. Mellor Prize recipients are innovative organizations and teams that demonstrate how, as Chip did throughout his life, principled and strategic advocacy, goodwill, and a long-term adherence to mission can change the law and improve the lives of everyday Americans.
In August, at SPN’s annual meeting, we announced the inaugural winner of the Mellor Prize: the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), for its groundbreaking legal work that led the U.S. Supreme Court to end “Chevron deference.” By litigating to overturn Chevron—a decades-old doctrine that let bureaucrats decide what laws meant, giving federal administrative agencies virtually unchecked power—NCLA helped restore the basic constitutional principle that judges must decide what the law is, not simply defer to what government officials want it to be.
Accepting the award on behalf of NCLA was its president, Mark Chenoweth, previously the co-founder of IJ’s Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School and a longtime friend of Chip’s. We were delighted that Chip’s family was also able to join us for the award ceremony.
Congratulations to NCLA and its entire team for this well-earned honor!
Support IJ The Savvy Way With A Gift From Your IRA
If you are age 70½ or older, you can transfer up to $108,000 tax-free in 2025 from your traditional IRA to qualified charitable organizations like the Institute for Justice. This can be a great option for those who are required to take a distribution but don’t need the funds and don’t want to add to their taxable income.
Making this type of gift to IJ allows 100% of your hard-earned IRA dollars to push back against restrictive government, rather than funding it. And it’s easy:
1. Write to your IRA administrator.
2. Tell them you want to make a QCD from your retirement account.
3. Provide IJ’s name, address, and tax ID number:
Institute for Justice
901 North Glebe Road, Suite 900
Arlington, VA 22203
52-1744337
If you have questions or would like to learn more about giving to IJ through your IRA, please contact Tino Bordone at [email protected] or (703) 682-9320 ext. 145, or visit ij.org/IRA-gifts.
Considering an IRA gift in 2025?
We strongly recommend mailing your check before the Thanksgiving holiday. If you want it to be credited toward your 2025 required minimum distribution, it needs to clear your account by December 31. Please note that the date of your qualified charitable distribution is not the date you or your IRA administrator send the distribution check, but the date that the funds transfer to the charity.u
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