Christie Hebert goes to court for people the government has pushed around, and she isn’t afraid to take their cases to trial. As an attorney at the Institute for Justice, she defends constitutional rights, with a focus on property rights, free speech, and the Fourth Amendment.
In 2026, Christie led the team that won a jury verdict for a driver, who was stopped by Bexar County deputies for a traffic violation he didn’t commit. The jury sided with him on all three of his Fourth Amendment claims. A year earlier, she tried an independent journalist’s case against Fort Bend County officials and won on his claim that he was arrested in retaliation for his reporting as a citizen journalist.
Some of her work can’t wait. In fall 2024, Christie was part of a team that won a preliminary injunction for the Flathead Warming Center in Kalispell, Montana, after the city revoked its permit. The team filed the case in October, argued the preliminary injunction at the end of the month, and by November the shelter was open again, giving the city’s most vulnerable people a safe place to be through the Montana winter.
For Christie, IJ’s cases are never only about one client’s dispute. Each one is a chance to defend rights that belong to every American, and that is work worth devoting a career to.
Before joining IJ, Christie litigated complex property disputes at a Texas firm and clerked for Judge Sam Sparks of the Western District of Texas and Justice Evan Young of the Texas Supreme Court. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law and earned a master’s in public affairs from the LBJ School, where she created and taught a course on writing and critical thinking for the Army War College Fellowship. Her path to law began with an economics degree from Davidson College and a stint at the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria.
Away from work, Christie’s life centers on her family. She and her husband, a fellow lawyer she met in law school, are raising two young sons, which means after-school activities, homework help, and drives to see relatives located throughout the south. Date nights usually involve a show; she’s a big theater fan. Since her second child was born, she has also been a proud member of IJ’s “Team Hyper-Ripped,” working out during lunch to prioritize health and keep up with her fit colleagues.
Christie 's Cases
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Lighthouse Sues Wenatchee for Shuttering Soup Kitchen to Satisfy Politically Connected Complainers
Lighthouse Christian Ministries is suing after Wenatchee officials revoked the soup kitchen's permit without warning, shutting down a vital resource that served 75-100 people daily.
4th Amendment Project | Rule of Law | Warrantless Surveillance
Small Businesses Threatened by Financial Surveillance Order File Suit Against the Federal Government
Money services businesses challenged a federal surveillance order requiring reports on low-dollar cash transactions near the southwest border.
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
With Winter Coming, the Institute for Justice Sues Kalispell, Montana, to Keep Warming Shelter Open
The Flathead Warming Center—an emergency shelter in Kalispell, Montana—suffered a cruel blow as winter approaches. On September 16, 2024, the Kalispell City Council voted 6-3 to revoke the Warming Center’s permit,…
4th Amendment Project | Private Property
New Jersey Parents File Federal Class Action Lawsuit Challenging State’s Secret Retention of Newborn Blood for 23 Years
New Jersey families challenged the state's policy of keeping blood from every baby born in the state. The state has given samples to law enforcement without a warrant.
4th Amendment Project | Rule of Law | Warrantless Surveillance
Texas Sheriff’s Deputy Falsifies Traffic Offense to Justify Unwarranted Truck Search
Alek Schott partnered with IJ for a federal lawsuit against Bexar County deputies for illegally stopping him for a traffic violation that he didn’t commit, and then using the stop to detain him and search his truck in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
DeVillier v. Texas
The Case Victory! In April 2024, the Supreme Court vacated the Fifth Circuit decision and ruled the DeVillier family can sue…
4th Amendment Project | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Arrested and Prosecuted for his Reporting, Citizen Journalist Defends His First Amendment Rights with Federal Lawsuit
Justin Pulliam, a citizen journalist in Texas, was arrested and prosecuted for his reporting on the activities of the Fort Bend County Sheriff. He is defending his First Amendment rights with a federal lawsuit.
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
J.T.H. v. Spring Cook
Investigations can be an effective tool for intimidation. Government officials across the ideological spectrum weaponize this power to punish those who speak out against them. The stories of junk investigations…
Economic Liberty | Eminent Domain | Private Property
Family-Owned Hardware Store Sues Long Island Town Trying to Take Away their Property
The Brinkmann family owns hardware stores in Long Island and purchased property with the hope of opening a new store. The town now wants to take the land through eminent domain, simply because they don’t want another store. With the help of IJ, the Brinkmanns are fighting back against this unconstitutional tactic.
Christie 's Amicus Briefs
Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government v. Bendel Partnership
Louisiana Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Christie 's News, Articles & Publications
Christie 's Podcasts
May 22, 2026
Short Circuit 429 | A Fifth of Circuit
In our #12Months12Circuits series it’s time to drink an entire Fifth. Now, regular listeners will be very familiar with the Fifth Circuit’s waters and may […]
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