Last fall, August “Augie” Kersten, co-owner of the Lonesome Dove saloon in Mandan, North Dakota, decided to brighten up his building with a mural. Other businesses in town have murals, and Augie thought it would be just the thing to bring color and character to the otherwise drab and industrial area where his business faced…

For the first time this Friday, Fort Pierce residents will be able to enjoy food truck food in downtown Fort Pierce. Just a few months ago, it was illegal for food trucks to operate within 500 feet of any establishment that sells food. That essentially blocked food trucks from doing business in Fort Pierce, since,…

St. Petersburg, Fla.—Yesterday, the city of Dunedin, Florida did something unthinkable: it authorized the foreclosure of someone’s home in order to collect fines the city assessed for having grass that was too long. And now, today, Jim Ficken, a 69-year old resident of Dunedin, is fighting back. He’s partnered with the Institute for Justice (IJ),…

Tallahassee, Fla.—Under a criminal-justice omnibus bill (HB 7125) passed by the Florida Legislature today, Florida may soon make it easier for people with criminal records to find work. Thanks to an amendment added by Sen. Jeff Brandes that is similar to his Fresh Start bill (SB 334), the omnibus bill addresses how occupational licensing blocks…

Austin,Texas—The government lied to Patricia Mosley about how to properly appeal a decision barring her from working as a home health aide, and this morning the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the government’s actions violated her due process rights. Mosley is a nurse who was placed on an “Employee Misconduct Registry” maintained by the Texas…

Tallahassee, Fla.—Today, the Florida House passed a bill to protect the right of all Floridians to grow vegetables and fruit on their own property. With the House’s passage of the bill, SB 82, the bill moves on to the governor’s desk for signature. Once the bill takes effect, any local ordinance that expressly limits or…

Nebraska is taking a major step forward for food entrepreneurs and the “buy local” movement as Gov. Ricketts prepares to sign LB 304 into law. LB 304 would allow Nebraskans to sell low-risk homemade foods like baked goods, jams, popcorn, candy and dried pasta from their homes and online. Before this change, these “cottage food”…

PHILADELPHIA— Philadelphians who lost their property to the city’s abusive civil forfeiture machine will be able to apply for compensation starting May 24, 2019. Last fall, the Institute for Justice (IJ) announced an agreement with the city to end a multi-year class action lawsuit on behalf of people who had homes, cash and cars wrongfully…

CHICAGO—Each year Chicago impounds tens of thousands of cars, imposing harsh penalties and rapidly accruing towing and storage fees on their owners. It is nearly impossible for many Chicagoans to come up with enough money to get their cars back. The system traps even innocent owners in its bureaucratic maze. But a class action lawsuit…

Tallahassee, Fla.—Today, the Florida House and Senate each passed HB 21, legislation that would eliminate the requirement that a general hospital obtain a certificate of need (CON) before being allowed to open. The bill now heads to the governor for signature. CON laws limit medical establishments by requiring the government to first determine whether services…

ARLINGTON, VA—The Institute for Justice is pleased to announce that Atlantic City property owner and longtime piano tuner Charlie Birnbaum can declare victory once and for all after his years-long battle to save his beloved longtime family home from eminent domain abuse. The home had been targeted by New Jersey’s Casino Reinvestment and Development Authority…

Arlington, Virginia—More than a dozen individuals and institutions have called on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case filed by the Institute for Justice in which the Montana Supreme Court ruled the state must discriminate against parents who select religious schools for their children. The justices are expected to decide this summer whether to…

North Dakota became the latest state to untangle natural hair braiders and eyebrow threaders from a thicket of licensing red tape thanks to a bill signed late yesterday by Gov. Doug Burgum. Before the law was signed, threaders could only work in North Dakota if they became licensed estheticians, a credential that requires a minimum…

Lancaster, Pa.—The Lancaster County District Attorney uses civil forfeiture to take hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and other property each year. Under Pennsylvania law, he is able to spend the proceeds with few restrictions. Yet detailed information about what property is taken and how the proceeds are spent is secret. Now, reporter Carter…

Arlington, Va.—Can the government restrict access to innovative health care technology in order to prop up an outdated business model? A new lawsuit filed yesterday in Marion Superior Court seeks to answer that question. The lawsuit, filed by health care technology company Visibly and the Institute for Justice (IJ), challenges Indiana’s ban on doctors using…

Thanks to a major reform signed earlier today by Gov. Doug Ducey, Arizona became the first state in the nation to universally recognize out-of-state licenses. Under the new law (HB 2569), Arizona will generally issue a license to new residents who were licensed for at least one year in another state, so long as their…

Case Appealed to U.S. Supreme Court Seeks to End this Abuse of Eminent Domain Arlington, Va.—In hundreds of documented examples from across the nation, powerful pipeline companies have convinced the courts to ignore the law and give these private companies other people’s land without first paying the owners any compensation, as required under federal law.…

Harrisburg, Pa.—A federal judge in Pennsylvania denied the Food and Drug Administration’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit about whether additive-free skim milk can be labeled and sold as “skim milk.” Current FDA regulations require farmers to add synthetic vitamins into skim milk before sale. Maryland dairy farmer Randy Sowers wants to sell all-natural skim milk…

Two years ago, Norco homeowner Ron Mugar received a notice indicating he had violated the city’s housing code. Ron had admittedly allowed his home and backyard to become cluttered with hobby machinery. But this time, instead of fining him or asking him to bring his property up to code, the city’s private, for-profit prosecutors—lawyers with…

Today, a federal judge in Georgia denied the city of Doraville’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its use of traffic tickets and other fines to generate revenue. The lawsuit was brought by two Doraville homeowners and two others who commute through Doraville. These plaintiffs partnered with the Institute for Justice (IJ), a non-profit, public…