IJ's Cases
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Mendenhall v. Denver
The Fourth Amendment requires that warrants be supported by "oath or affirmation" but that requirement means almost nothing today because of a decades old Supreme Court decision. Michael Mendenhall's case could revive the original meaning…
4th Amendment Project | Open Fields Doctrine | Private Property
Alabama Open Fields
Three northern Alabama residents have teamed up to file a lawsuit challenging a statute that allows game wardens to trespass on private property without a warrant.
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
A North Carolina family is seeking to hold SWAT teams accountable for raiding the wrong home in April 2024.
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 asked the United States Supreme Court after New York’s courts said…
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…
4th Amendment Project | License Plate Readers | Private Property
Norfolk, VA Camera Surveillance
Norfolk, Virginia has installed more than 170 cameras across the city that watch drivers' every movement. Now, two Norfolk-area residents have teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a federal lawsuit challenging the…
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Flathead Warming Center
The Flathead Warming Center—an emergency shelter in Kalispell, Montana—suffered a cruel blow as winter approaches. On September 16, 2024, the Kalispell City Council voted 6-3 to revoke the Warming Center’s permit, even though it has…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property | SWAT Destruction
Martin v. United States
FBI agents raided the wrong home in suburban Atlanta. Now the federal government refuses to compensate the victims even though Congress passed a law permitting suits for damages caused by federal employees.
Tennessee Gag Order
Nashville civil rights attorney Daniel Horwitz was silenced by a gag order, after discussing his cases with the media. Now, he's teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a federal First Amendment lawsuit…
4th Amendment Project | Open Fields Doctrine | Private Property
Pennsylvania Fish Cops
Tim and Stephanie Thomas purchased their cabin on Butler Lake in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, in 2014. In 2022, after Stephanie was diagnosed with stage four cancer, it also became a sanctuary for her to rest and…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Florida Mistaken Identity Arrest
An innocent Texas woman was arrested in a case of mistaken identity while getting off a cruise in 2022. Now, she's suing Broward County for the unconstitutional arrest.
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Georgia Home Demolition
Eric Arnold stood in front of his property in Macon-Bibb County, Georgia, shaking in shock and disbelief. The house he had been painstakingly fixing up for months—the house he poured hours of work and thousands…
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Santa Clara Fines
Michael and Kellie Ballard provided safe, affordable housing for their long-time employee and his family at the Ballards’ historic vineyard and winery in Santa Clara County, California. For that good deed, the Ballards have been…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
South Fulton Protectionist Zoning
In America, the government doesn’t get to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. Businesses compete, and the consumer ultimately decides which services or products they want. The idea that anyone can open a storefront…
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom
Florida Cultivated Meat Ban
Americans love meat. According to the USDA, between beef, pork, chicken, and turkey, the average American eats nearly 225 pounds of meat per year.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Indiana Parcel Forfeiture
Henry and Minh Cheng, who run a wholesale jewelry business, are fighting Indiana to keep money a customer sent them through FedEx. Indiana police seized the money and prosecutors are trying to take it through…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Martinez v. High
Desiree Martinez bravely reported to the police the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her boyfriend, Kyle Pennington. But Pennington was a police officer, and came from a family of officers. Instead of…
Immunity and Accountability | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Oklahoma Takings
Courts say Okay, Oklahoma owes Melisa Robinson for damaging her property. But the city won't pay. That violates her Fifth Amendment right to just compensation.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Arkansas School Choice
In 2023, Arkansas’ education reform bill, known as the LEARNS Act, went into effect. The LEARNS Act created the state’s Education Freedom Accounts program, which provides eligible families with thousands of dollars to cover certain…
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Utah Educational Savings Account Program
People have long come to expect a choice when it comes to their shopping. After all, not everyone has the same needs or wants. It’s an uncontroversial idea in nearly every facet of life. But…
First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Murphy v. Schmitt
Have you ever heard of someone being arrested and sent to jail for walking on the wrong side of the road? Probably not — because police officers never, or almost never, arrest people for such…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
Marion, Kansas Retaliation
Ruth Herbel moved to Marion, Kansas, as a young woman and has lived there for over 60 years. She raised a family while serving in several state and federal government jobs. But rather than opt…
Massachusetts School Choice
Massachusetts law makes a guarantee to students who require special educational services: No matter who you are, or where you go to school, you are entitled to special education and related services. It is part…
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Pennsylvania Commercial Speech
Nazareth, Pennsylvania criminalizes the act of putting 'for sale' signs on cars that are parked on the street. Nazareth resident Will Cramer has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit challenging…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Virginia Fresh Start II
People who have overcome drug or alcohol addiction often want to help others overcome addiction, too. Their firsthand experience can make them particularly well-suited to guide others through recovery. Melissa Brown is one of those…
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment
Illinois Unclaimed Property
David Knott wants to help people file paperwork to recover some of the billions of dollars in “unclaimed” property that is being held by the State of Illinois. But, to do so, the government says…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property | SWAT Destruction
Jimerson v. Lewis – Texas Wrong House Raid
Everyone who visits a home for the first time—including delivery drivers, plumbers, and Girl Scouts—knows that you have to make sure you have the right address before barging in. Somehow, Waxahachie Police Department (WPD) Lieutenant…