In a ruling likely to have national implications, today a federal judge in Albuquerque has found that the city’s civil forfeiture program is unconstitutional. The ruling sets a precedent that calls into question countless other civil forfeiture programs across the country. “Today’s ruling is a total victory for fairness, due process and property owners everywhere,”…

Richmond, Va.—In Virginia, you can teach anyone anything—except how to earn an honest living. That’s the lesson Jon and Tracy McGlothian learned when they tried to open a school to teach job skills to adults in their Virginia Beach community. Yet the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has made it virtually impossible…

Baton Rouge, LA—Today, after waging a two-year legal battle with the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology, a group of eyebrow threaders who challenged the state licensing requirement have received some of the first permits to thread eyebrows. Today also marks a moment when eyebrow threaders across the state are finally going back to work. That’s…

San Juan, Puerto Rico—On Friday, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court agreed to immediately hear a case concerning the constitutionality of Puerto Rico’s new Free School Selection Program. The Program, passed into law in March, grants eligible families scholarships to send their child to the private or public school of their choice. The Court of the…

San Juan, Puerto Rico—El viernes pasado, el Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico expidió un auto urgente y anunció que el Tribunal determinará la constitucionalidad del Programa de Libre Selección de Escuelas en Puerto Rico. El programa, aprobado en marzo, otorga becas a familias necesitadas para enviar a sus hijos a la escuela privada o pública…

Arlington, Va. — Should you need a license to use public information to draw lines on satellite photos? That is what the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors argued when they sued Vizaline, LLC, and co-founder Brent Melton for “unlicensed surveying” and sought to stop the company from operating and to have…

Several braiders in the Garden State have been fined and even arrested just for practicing their craft without a license.

Today, after a group of lactation counselors filed a lawsuit on Monday, Georgia has agreed to halt enforcement of the state’s lactation consultant licensing law, pending the outcome of the suit. The law, which was set to go into effect on Sunday, July 1, threatened fines of upwards of $500 per day for practicing lactation…

For nearly three decades, Mary Jackson has provided hands-on advice to help new mothers learn how to breastfeed. Despite her years of training and experience, on July 1st, she will be out of a job—but not because she has done anything wrong. Rather, on July 1st, a new Georgia law goes into effect requiring that…

Dallas—Today, Hinga Mbogo and the Institute for Justice announced that they will seek review from the Texas Supreme Court of the Texas Court of Appeals’ decision that dismissed Hinga’s property rights lawsuit against the city of Dallas. The case, which has played out for the last two years, challenges Dallas’ illegal attempt to shutdown a…

Louisville, Ky.—Today, Judge David J. Hale of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky entered a consent decree that ends a months-long legal battle between Louisville’s innovative food truck businesses and Louisville Metro. The consent decree is enforceable through the federal court’s contempt powers and will ensure that Louisville’s food trucks are…

This morning (June 18, 2018), the U.S. Supreme Court granted review of a case that has nationwide implications for both property rights and criminal justice. The question presented is whether the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause protects against sanctions imposed by state and local authorities. The appeal is brought by Indiana resident Tyson Timbs, represented…

The Rhode Island House of Representatives voted unanimously on Thursday to eliminate cosmetology licensing requirements for African-style, natural hair braiders. Under Rhode Island law, braiders can only work if they first obtain a cosmetology license, which takes at least 1,200 hours, far more than what’s required to become a licensed emergency medical technician. Tuition to…

Arlington, Va.— Yesterday afternoon, Judge Raymond P. Moore, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado ruled that Colorado’s unusual system of campaign-finance enforcement violates the First Amendment. The system permitted any person to file a private lawsuit to enforce the state’s campaign-finance laws. That is unconstitutional, the court held, because there is…

“Wide-ranging transparency requirements are vital for keeping both the public and the state legislature well-informed about civil forfeiture in New Hampshire.”

CLEVELAND—One week after an Ohio family’s lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sparked national outrage against the agency’s civil forfeiture practices, a federal judge has ordered the case to trial. It all began last October, when CBP agents at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport seized $58,100 from Rustem Kazazi, a U.S. citizen, while he…

Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court dismissed a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s real estate licensing regime. The ruling leaves in place laws that make it a crime for anyone but a fully licensed real estate broker to help property owners manage rental properties on sites like Airbnb. The lawsuit was filed by entrepreneur Sally Ladd, who…

Jefferson City, Mo.—On Friday, legislation to create a new stand-alone braiding license was signed into law, finally allowing natural, African-style hair braiders in Missouri to practice their art without the tremendous burden of acquiring an irrelevant cosmetology license. A state cosmetology license requires 1,500 hours of training that teaches nothing about African-style hair braiding, and…

San Juan, Puerto Rico—Today, three families asked a Puerto Rican trial court to allow them to join in the legal defense of Puerto Rico’s Free School Selection Program. The Program allows families with children currently in public school to apply for scholarships to send their children to the school of their choice. The Program is…

CLEVELAND—An immigrant family working hard and sacrificing for thirteen years to help relatives and to buy a dream vacation home in their native country is something that should be celebrated. But for Rustem Kazazi, it led to a terrifying run-in with hostile agents of the U.S. government. And once again, an American family finds itself…