Akron, Ohio—Since ancient times, good samaritans have used their land to shelter the neediest. That tradition continues today in Akron, Ohio, where Sage Lewis—a local entrepreneur—welcomed a group of homeless people to set up tents in the back lot of his business after the city forced them off public land. That was more than a…

With the midterms just three weeks away, a new poll found widespread opposition to civil forfeiture, a controversial practice that lets law enforcement agencies seize and keep property, without a criminal conviction or even filing charges. Conducted by the Institute for Justice and YouGov, the poll found that 76 percent of Americans would be more…

CHICAGO—Five South Side entrepreneurs took the stage last week with three crowned winners and all the contestants gaining valuable experience in promoting their unique business idea. For five years running, the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship (IJ Clinic) has hosted South Side Pitch. Liv Labs, an innovative solution to help women exercise with confidence,…

Carolina Beach, N.C.—At a public town council meeting last night, the Carolina Beach council announced that it intends to make Carolina Beach a leader for food truck freedom and remove, rather than enact, barriers to competition. This comes six weeks after it repealed an unconstitutional ordinance requiring food truck owners own a brick-and-mortar restaurant in…

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.—The owners of White Cottage Red Door, a Door County shop known for “everything cherry,” filed a constitutional challenge to the town of Gibraltar’s food-truck ban. When the small business opened a food truck in its parking lot in the summer of 2017, the Town of Gibraltar’s board, chaired by a local brick-and-mortar…

Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Supreme Court today effectively brought to an end a four-year challenge to Missouri’s licensing of African-style hair braiders. The braiders, working with the Institute for Justice (IJ), challenged the state’s requirement that they spend thousands of dollars on 1,500 hours of cosmetology training even though the training did not cover braiding. Earlier…

On Thursday, a new specialty license for African-style natural hair braiders was signed into law in New Jersey. Under the law (A-3754), a braider can now become licensed after completing a maximum of 40 to 50 hours of coursework, depending on their experience level. Previously, braiders could only legally work if they had a cosmetology…

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez issued an executive order on Wednesday to reform the state’s “overly-restrictive licensure schemes.” Today, occupational licensing  is one of the biggest labor market barriers in the nation, with one-third of New Mexico’s workforce needing either a license or certification to legally work. That red tape also raises prices for consumers…

For a decade, licensed veterinarian Dr. Ron Hines gave advice online from his Texas home to pet owners across the world. Then, the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners said that his advice was illegal—not because it harmed an animal or was inaccurate, but because Texas prohibits veterinarians from sharing their expertise with pet…

PHILADELPHIA—The Institute for Justice (IJ) today announced a major settlement with the city of Philadelphia, ending the city’s draconian civil forfeiture machine. In documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania today, city officials agreed to a set of reforms that will end the perverse financial incentives under which law…

18 Amicus Briefs Support Institute for Justice’s Client, 1 Brief, which Examines the History of the Eighth Amendment, Remains Neutral Indiana Supreme Court Ruled Governments within the State May Impose Excessive Fines Until the U.S. Supreme Court Says They Can’t Arlington, Va.—In late November or early December, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Timbs v.…

Today, the Charlestown City Council started the process of rescinding the Indiana state Unsafe Building Law. The vote comes just two days after an Indiana Appeals Court ruled that the city had violated the state Unsafe Building Law when it levied outrageous fines against homeowners in the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood. In response to today’s vote,…

The city’s attempt to spin today’s decision as a win is just that: spin. The city has lost on everything. Mayor Hall cannot point to a single legal argument that the city has won. Only by the city’s backwards logic does an unbroken string of losses amount to a victory. The Homeowners have won again…

Akron, Ohio—Tonight at 7:00 p.m., the Akron City Council will hold a hearing on the application of Sage Lewis and The Homeless Charity for a permit to continue sheltering the homeless on private commercial property at 15 Broad Street. This permit application raises not just questions about zoning policy, but the constitutional rights of property…

Charlestown, Ind.—Today, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Charlestown must follow the state of Indiana’s Unsafe Building Law, a state statute that gives property owners procedural protections from overzealous city code enforcement. The decision on the neighborhood’s preliminary injunction now goes back to Judge Jason Mount to rule on how the Unsafe…

Arlington, Va.—The case of Tyson Timbs v. State of Indiana, which will be argued this fall before the U.S. Supreme Court, tells an all-too-familiar tale of opioid addiction and recovery in America. But this story has an important constitutional twist that may help protect millions of Americans from the abuse of government-imposed fines and fees,…

Carolina Beach, N.C.—Last night, after an extended meeting behind closed doors, the Carolina Beach town council repealed a law that makes it illegal to operate a food truck in the town unless the owner also owns a brick-and-mortar restaurant in town. The unanimous vote came a week after the Institute for Justice (IJ) partnered with…

Gov. Phil Murphy conditionally vetoed a bill (A-3754) on Monday that would have let African-style natural hair braiders practice their craft without a license. In New Jersey, braiders can only work legally if they are licensed cosmetologists, which requires at least 1,200 hours of training and can cost upwards of $17,000 in tuition. Several braiders…

Carolina Beach, N.C.—Variety is the spice of life, unless you live in the small beach community of Carolina Beach, North Carolina, where the town council has made it nearly impossible for food truck owners from neighboring towns to operate. Thankfully, the North Carolina state constitution makes that kind of economic protectionism illegal. So, today, a…

Portland, Maine—Today, three families represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ) and the First Liberty Institute (FLI) filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a Maine law that excludes parents from participating in the state’s school tuition program because they chose religious schools for their children, violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of free exercise of religion…