Prescott, Ariz.—When Joshua and Emily Killeen moved to rural Yavapai County, they envisioned building a simple home for themselves and operating a rustic wellness and wedding retreat. Unfortunately, their modest aspirations unraveled when the county banned them from advertising their coming business and hosting free potluck dinners with yoga because their buildings did not have…

Tennessee parents Natu Bah and Builguissa Diallo today asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to stay the adverse decision against Tennessee’s Education Savings Account Pilot Program Act, which the Chancery Court of Davidson County had declared unconstitutional earlier this month, and to decide the case itself now rather than wait for a decision from the Court…

A bill that would protect the livelihoods of more than 1,000 hair and makeup artists is heading to Gov. Tim Walz. Currently, anyone who wants to earn a living applying makeup or styling hair at wedding, proms, or other social gatherings can only legally work if they’ve obtained three separate licenses and permits. But under…

Harrisburg, Penn.—In a victory for economic liberty in Pennsylvania, this morning the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that vacation rental manager Sally Ladd’s constitutional lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission could move forward. Today’s ruling allows Sally to continue challenging requirements in the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA) that she spend three years…

Arlington, Va.—Today, home baker Cindy Harper joined with the Institute for Justice (IJ) and Husch Blackwell LLP to file a lawsuit challenging the City of Lincoln for bringing back regulations at the local level that were repealed by the state legislature. In 2019, the Nebraska legislature passed LB 304 to exempt home bakers from having…

CHICAGO— The Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago submitted comments to the Small Business Administration asking it to eliminate red tape that prevents many low-income and minority-owned businesses from accessing emergency loans. The Payroll Protection Program (PPP) is intended to provide loans to small businesses whose operations have been affected…

ATLANTA—In a major victory for economic freedom in the Peach State, the Georgia Supreme Court this morning ruled that a constitutional challenge to the state’s new lactation consultant license will go forward. This decision gives hope to Georgians who want to teach women how to breastfeed without an expensive, difficult to obtain license and protects the right to challenge economic liberty restrictions of all kinds.…

Phoenix, Ariz.—Today, Judge Connie Contes of the Maricopa County Superior Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by engineer Greg Mills and his company, Southwest Engineering Concepts (SOENCO), over Arizona’s statutes governing engineering practice. The court ruled Greg was not yet allowed to sue the Board of Technical Registration, the agency that enforces these statutes, notwithstanding the…

Today, the Chancery Court for Davidson County declared that it would not stay its injunction halting Tennessee’s Education Savings Account Pilot Program Act, which the Court had declared unconstitutional Monday. Absent relief from Tennessee’s appellate courts, this means that the state must stop processing ESA applications for the 2020-2021 school year. Natu Bah and Builguissa…

Las Vegas, Nev.—Today, the Institute for Justice (IJ) announced that it will appeal a judge’s decision upholding the Legislature’s reduction of education tax credits without the super majority required by the state’s constitution. IJ represents three low-income mothers who depend on scholarships to keep their children in their chosen schools. The ruling can be directly appealed to the Nevada…

Monday evening, the Chancery Court for Davidson County held that Tennessee’s ESA Pilot Program Act violated the Home Rule Amendment of the Tennessee Constitution and enjoined further implementation of the program. The ruling follows a February lawsuit on behalf of the governments of Nashville and Shelby County along with the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public…

Bismarck, N.D.—Today, two North Dakota women joined a lawsuit with the Institute for Justice (IJ) against the North Dakota Department of Health for defying the Legislature and illegally crippling the Cottage Food Act. Their lawsuit aims to restore the food freedom North Dakotans had from 2017 until 2020, when North Dakotans could sell virtually any…

Arlington, VA.—This week the Institute for Justice (IJ) took another step in its campaign to rid the nation of so-called certificate of need (CON) laws, which artificially limit doctors, hospital administrators and other medical professionals’ ability to provide services in excess of a governmentally determined “need.” In a series of letters to governors across the…

Arlington, Va.—Cities and towns nationwide use their power to enforce traffic, property code and other ordinances to raise revenue rather than solely to protect the public. Such “taxation by citation” is a perennial problem, but it could worsen in the coming months when many municipalities will find themselves facing budget shortfalls due to the COVID-19…

Jeremy Barnes learned the hard way how Utah is unlike any other state. A former police officer turned entrepreneur, Jeremy started a private investigation business three minutes from the Utah border in rural Franklin, Idaho, part of the Logan metropolitan area. He did so planning to serve clients in both Idaho and Utah. In Idaho,…

Akron, Ohio—Today, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in a case challenging Akron’s refusal to allow Sage Lewis and The Homeless Charity to operate a homeless community on private commercial property. In appealing the permit denial, Sage’s attorneys sent the court documents to the city’s attorney. However, the Ninth District Court of…

Arlington, Va.—In February 2019, Indiana resident Tyson Timbs made national headlines when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the 8th Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause applies not just to the federal government, but to the states, as well. That decision established a rule of law for Americans nationwide. But it didn’t get Tyson his car back.…

Arlington, Va.—As states scramble to shore up their medical systems, the Institute for Justice (IJ) is urging state regulators to drop barriers limiting residents’ access to telemedicine. In a series of letters, IJ attorneys urged regulators in Arizona, Illinois and Minnesota to immediately allow out-of-state doctors to provide medical advice using smartphone apps, video conferencing…

Arlington, Va.—A family-run dairy farm in Maryland has won the right to sell its pure skim milk without having to label the milk as “imitation.” According to written FDA regulations, only skim milk with artificial vitamins A and D added can be labeled as “skim milk.” However, in response to a lawsuit, the FDA publicly…

Only a week after the Institute for Justice (IJ) sent a letter to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer urging her to allow garden centers and nurseries to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor has done exactly that. On Friday, she rescinded an earlier executive order that had prohibited these vital businesses from operating and issued a new order…