Past IJ Arguments of Note
IJ has participated in dozens of arguments over the years. Below is a selection of some of the most noteworthy.
U.S. Supreme Court
Martin v. United States Supreme Court Hearing
Before the sun came up one morning in 2017, Trina Martin, her 7-year-old son Gabe Watson, and her partner Toi Cliatt were startled awake by the sound of their front door crashing in and…
DeVillier v. Texas Supreme Court Hearing
Richie DeVillier’s family has lived on their cattle ranch outside Winnie, Texas since the 1920s. Historically, rainwater on their land flowed naturally to the Gulf of Mexico. However, after the Texas Department of Transportation renovated…
Gonzalez v. Trevino Supreme Court Hearing
In Gonzalez v. Trevino, Petitioner Sylvia Gonzalez is a 72 year-old city councilwoman from Castle Hills, Texas. Ms. Gonzalez believed that the city’s mayor and city manager were ignoring her constituents and her own frustrations…
Maine School Choice Oral Argument
On behalf of three Maine families, IJ and the First Liberty Institute filed a challenge to Maine’s exclusion of religious options from the state’s school choice program. Our clients all lived in “tuitioning towns,” which…
Timbs v. Indiana Oral Argument
After Tyson Timbs got caught selling four grams of heroin to undercover officers, he pleaded guilty to drug dealing. He served one year on house arrest, paid $1,200 in court fees, and, most importantly, got…
Arizona Campaign Finance Oral Argument
IJ challenged Arizona’s punitive system of funding political campaigns with taxpayer funds. Under Arizona’s “Clean Elections” Act, if a privately financed candidate or an independent political group supporting that candidate spent more than the government…
State Supreme Courts
Indiana Jury Trials Oral Argument
The right to a jury trial is fundamental to our justice system. The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil cases in federal court. Likewise, most state constitutions protect the right…
Arizona Engineering Licensing Oral Argument
Greg Mills is an engineer with decades of experience designing, building, and testing electrical circuits for major manufacturers in Arizona. After years of working for others, he started his own engineering consulting company to serve…
Texas Eyebrow Threading Oral Argument
IJ joined with eyebrow threading salon owner Ash Patel, along with several other threading salon owners and individual threaders, to challenge the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation’s requirement that threaders become fully licensed cosmetologists…
Norwood, Ohio, Eminent Domain Oral Argument
When a developer and the city of Norwood, Ohio, teamed up to bulldoze homes and small businesses for the developer’s private gain, IJ teamed up with the owners to fight back.
Federal Appellate Courts
New York Forfeiture Appeal Oral Argument
Rochester, New York, police seized more than $8,000 from Cristal Starling on the theory that her then-boyfriend was a drug dealer and the money was drug proceeds. In reality, it was legitimate cash that Cristal…
Texas Veterinary Speech Oral Argument
For 10 years, Dr. Ron Hines, a retired and physically disabled Texas-licensed veterinarian, used the internet to give advice to pet owners across the country and around the globe, often for free. He didn’t realize…
California Trade Schools Oral Argument
IJ joined with Bob Smith, owner of the Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School, to challenge a California law that made it illegal for trade schools like Bob’s to admit students who hadn’t first graduated from high…
D.C. Tour Guides Oral Argument
IJ joined with Tonia Edwards and Bill Main, the owners and operators of a Segway tour company, to challenge a District of Columbia law that made it illegal for anyone to give a tour of…
North Carolina Free Speech Oral Argument
After the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition told diabetic blogger Steve Cooksey he couldn’t give diet advice—whether paid or unpaid and whether on his blog or in private emails and calls—without a government-issued license, IJ…
Louisiana Caskets Oral Argument
When the Louisiana funeral board went after the monks of Saint Joseph Abbey for the “crime” of selling handmade wooden caskets without a funeral director license, IJ stepped in to champion the monks and their…