Anya Bidwell is an attorney with the Institute for Justice and IJ’s current Elfie Gallun Fellow in Freedom and the Constitution. Anya is one of the leaders of IJ’s Project on Immunity and Accountability. Through this project, Anya works to promote judicial engagement and ensure that government officials are held to account when they violate individuals’ constitutional rights.
In November 2020, Anya, as part of the Project on Immunity and Accountability, helped argue a U.S. Supreme Court case Brownback v. King, involving an innocent college student who was brutally beaten by undercover law enforcement officers. The case is now going back to the Sixth Circuit on the issue of whether two claims brought in the same lawsuit can cancel each other out, simply because one of the claims was brought against the federal government. In 2019, Anya was a co-counsel in another U.S. Supreme Court case brought by IJ, this time on behalf of two small business owners. In that case–Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas—the Justices, in a 7-2 decision, held that states cannot engage in protectionism by imposing durational residency requirements on newly arrived residents, even in the context of the Twenty-First Amendment.
Before joining IJ, Anya was a litigation attorney with a top national law firm, handling cases in trial and appellate courts. She earned her J.D. with honors from the University of Texas, where she worked as a student attorney at the United States Supreme Court Clinic. Two years prior to entering law school, Anya received a Master’s degree in Global Policy Studies, also from the University of Texas, and wrote a thesis on asymmetric warfare.
Anya grew up in the Former Soviet Union. She came to America at 16, on a university scholarship. Her upbringing motivated her to study law and become an advocate for a strong, independent judiciary.
Anya’s work has been featured in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the USA Today, and the Guardian. She is also the host of live recordings of our Short Circuit podcast, which take place on student campuses across the country.
Anya's Cases

Immunity and Accountability
A court said the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unwarranted arrests is “hazy.” Now, with IJ’s help, a family is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to clear the haze and rein in police’s ability to arrest someone for no reason.
A police officer in Arkansas held two innocent children at gun point when he was supposed to be searching for an adult suspect. IJ is asking the Supreme Court to hear the family’s case and…

Immunity and Accountability
Will Federal Cops Remain Above the Law?
When police violate the rights of Americans, as they did to Kevin Byrd and Hamdi Mahmoud, they should be held accountable. IJ is asking the Supreme Court to take both of these cases and ensure…

Immunity and Accountability
Oliva v. Nivar
José Oliva was brutally beaten by federal officers in an unprovoked attack at a VA Hospital. This attack violated his Fourth Amendment rights, and IJ filed a petition to have the Supreme Court take on…

Immunity and Accountability
Texas woman fights back after local officials in Castle Hills have her arrested and jailed for criticizing city government
After she won her election to city council, Sylvia Gonzalez immediately began getting harassed by city officials whom she had criticized in the past. It got so bad she was even arrested and thrown in…

Immunity and Accountability
Taking on The Shell Games That Allow Federal/State Task Force Members To Violate Your Rights
Brownback v. King is IJ’s first Immunity and Accountability case that was argued before the United States Supreme Court. It involves James King, an innocent college student who was brutally beaten and choked unconscious by…

Economic Liberty
Can States Bar Newcomers from Owning a Business?
A Tennessee law required that in order to open a liquor store, one must be a Tennessee resident for two years. With help from IJ, Doug and Mary Ketchum challenged this law, bringing it all…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Nurse Files Class Action Challenging CBP’s Abusive Civil Forfeiture Practices
Anthonia Nwaorie, a registered nurse and grandmother from Texas was flying to see family in Nigeria when Customs and Border Patrol took her life savings without ever charging her with a crime. So, she joined…

Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Food Freedom | Food Freedom
Maryland Dairy Farmers Sue for Right to Tell the Truth
The FDA prevented Randy Sowers from labelling his skim milk as “skim milk” even though that’s exactly what it is. The First Amendment protects Randy’s right to tell the truth about his product, and after…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Wyoming law enforcement pressures drivers to sign a form “giving” their cash to law enforcement agencies and waiving any right to court proceedings.
IJ successfully represented Phil Parhamovich, a musician from Madison, Wisconsin who had his life savings of $91,800 seized by Wyoming law enforcement during a traffic stop on I-80 near Cheyenne. Phil was never charged, much…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Border Patrol Agents Used a Flimsy Excuse to Seize A Man’s Truck, Then Held It for Two Years, Refusing His Requests for a Hearing. He Is Now Appealing His Case to the U.S. Supreme Court, Calling for Prompt Hearings After Vehicle Seizures
Border Patrol Agents used a flimsy excuse to seize Gerardo Serrano’s truck, then held it for two years. IJ asked the Supreme Court to hear Gerardo’s case, but unfortunately the court declined to do so.
Anya's Amicus Briefs
Craig v. Martin
U.S. Court of the Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Egbert v. Boule
U.S. Supreme Court
J.W. v. Paley
5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Cope v. Cogdill
5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Thompson v. Clark
U.S. Supreme Court
Mitchell v. Morton County Sheriff
8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Ashaheed v. Currington
10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Villarreal v. Laredo
Jessop v. Fresno
Tanzin v. Tanvir
Hernandez v. Mesa Jr.
Frasier v. Denver Police Officers