For the 8th year in a row Short Circuit travels to the University of North Carolina to preview the Supreme Court’s new term, hosted by […]

In America, the government doesn’t get to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. Yet states and cities throughout the country block new business to […]

It’s our first “breakout” episode where we have our own feed and webpage—plus our own logo. And that means its time to get into the […]

“Twelve” isn’t just another word for a dozen or the original number of Apostles. It’s how many jurors sit on a criminal jury. Well, except […]

Can the government take your land just because they don’t like you? That’s happening to Brinkmann’s Hardware, a beloved local store in Long Island. After […]

“Effects” isn’t a word that most people associate with “my stuff” these days. But that’s what it means in the Fourth Amendment. Our “effects” are […]

The film Rebel Ridge came September 6 and shot to #1 on Netflix. It depicts a former Marine’s attempts to get his money back after […]

Economic liberty is in poll position. Or at least it won an early round victory in North Carolina. IJ attorney, and North Carolinian, Josh Windham […]

A special edition of Short Circuit Live where the Institute for Justice teamed up with the Texas Observer for a conversation about how local governments […]

It’s legal to travel domestically with any amount of cash. It’s legal to travel in and out of the U.S. with more than $10k if […]

An extremely sad case, especially for man’s best friend (dog-lover discretion is advised!), and a happy case for property rights. First, the Center for Judicial […]

Civil forfeiture is a civil rights nightmare, allowing police and prosecutors to seize billions of dollars’ worth of property annually—cash, cars, houses, bank accounts, and […]

Part of the job description of a journalist is talk to public officials, gather information, and report on it. Unfortunately, that seems to be a […]

One reason we have a Fourth Amendment is to be free from general warrants, permission slips for the government to search, well, everything. Is that […]

On a typical day, police officers pull over more than 50,000 drivers. If you’ve had a recent encounter with police, chances are good it was […]

Anyone who has ever grown enraged after seeing their comment deleted from a Facebook page will find solace in this week’s episode. We examine a […]

A most unusual Fourth Amendment case this week: One cop claims there was a seizure while another says there was not. They disagree because one […]

The freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment is a foundational and cherished right that sets America apart from other constitutional democracies.    Many […]

Emphasizing the justice in our name, IJ recently launched a new project to fight back against zoning laws, Zoning Justice. We’ve been challenging overreaching zoning […]

It’s time for Short Circuit to head for the hills. Two cases from the mountainous Tenth Circuit, one on the Fourth Amendment and another on […]

As our listeners probably know, civil forfeiture is legal practice that lets the government take and keep your property by claiming it’s connected to a […]

We join forces with the law firm of Hogan Lovells to bring you some “legal mumbo jumbo”—an episode recorded at their offices in Washington, D.C. […]

Imagine a SWAT team raids a house—battering doors, breaking windows, and coating everything inside with tear gas residue.  Now imagine the SWAT team had the […]

This episode is a First Amendment 2-4-1. We begin with James Dickey of the Upper Midwest Law Center (and former golf pro). James tells us […]

The Fourth of July holds a central place in American history. The day patriots threw off the shackles of King George. Which is why it’s […]

Everybody knows that the government can’t take property from you just because it doesn’t like you. But what if the government says it actually wants […]

In March 2021, people entered a private security-deposit box company in Beverly Hills, CA, broke open hundreds of boxes, and indiscriminately seized their contents – […]

Is “perceived speech” protected by the First Amendment? That straightforward question goes in a very complicated direction when a truck driver is fired from his […]

In 2005, in the case of Kelo v. New London, the Supreme Court allowed officials to seize and raze an entire neighborhood of well-maintained homes […]

We like to think of America as a land of opportunity and second chances. But what happens when a web of government restrictions prevents someone […]