Gretchen Embrey serves as IJ’s Director of Paralegal Services & Senior Paralegal. She joined IJ in January 1996. Her responsibilities include management of IJ’s paralegals, along with preparing and filing legal documents in courts across the country. Gretchen received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Legal Studies in 1995 from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.
Gretchen's Cases
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Martinez v. High
Desiree Martinez bravely reported to the police the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her boyfriend, Kyle Pennington. But Pennington was a police officer, and came from a family of officers. Instead of…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Atlanta Airport Forfeiture Attorneys’ Fees
Brian Moore fought to get his property back from the federal government and he won. In 2021, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents seized $8,500 in cash from him at Atlanta’s airport while he was waiting…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
Anilao Cert Petition
A group of immigrant nurses whom rogue prosecutors tried to subject to indentured servitude, and their attorney who was criminally charged for providing legal advice, are asking the United States Supreme Court to hear their…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
West Virginia Judicial Field Trip
The Institute for Justice (IJ) teamed up with a West Virginia man whose rights were violated by a Raleigh County family court judge. IJ and Matthew Gibson are urging the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property | SWAT Destruction
Baker v. City of McKinney — Texas SWAT Destruction
Police destroyed Vicki Baker’s home while pursuing a fugitive, costing her tens of thousands of dollars and leaving her daughter’s dog with hearing loss. The city refused to pay for the damage it caused. IJ…
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter
Akron Right to Shelter
Sage Lewis is using his commercial property to build a community for those experiencing homelessness, with the hope of helping them transition from the streets to permanent housing. The city of Akron is attempting to…
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Carson v. Makin
Video Interview with Attorney and Parent Supreme Court Decision School Choice Myths & Realities…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Oregon Engineering Speech
Mats Järlström is an engineer, and he used those skills to criticize the formula used on red lights, suggesting the yellow lights should last a little longer. He was hit with a $500 fine from…
Economic Liberty | Health | Occupational Licensing
South Carolina Eyeglasses
Similar Cases Complaint Latest Release…
Educational Choice | Tax Credit Scholarships
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided one of the most important education reform cases in the past half-century. This landmark case held that the U.S. Constitution does not allow states to discriminate…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Structuring Petitions
The message from the Institute for Justice, which represents Ken and Randy, to the IRS is simple: If you’ve taken something that doesn’t belong to you, give it back.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
North Carolina Forfeiture
Lyndon McLellan has spent more than a decade running L&M Convenience Mart, a gas station, restaurant, and convenience store in rural Fairmont, North Carolina. Then, one year ago, without any warning, agents from the IRS…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech | Tour Guides
Savannah Tour Guides
Tour guides are storytellers, and the government can’t be in the business of deciding who is (or who is not) allowed to tell stories.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Philadelphia Forfeiture
Police and prosecutors use civil forfeiture to strip thousands of Americans of their rights and property. Nowhere is the problem more rampant than in Philadelphia.
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing | Teeth Whitening
Georgia Teeth Whitening
In Georgia, entrepreneurs who offer teeth-whitening services can be charged with a felony, imprisoned for up to five years and fined thousands of dollars. Their crime? Selling the exact same teeth-whitening product sold in stores.
Virginia Certificate of Need
Virginia’s certificate of need program actually makes it illegal to offer new medical services or purchase certain types of medical equipment without first obtaining a special permission slip from the government.
Fountain Hills, Ariz. Speech
Arizona wants to bar people from joining together to protest local ballot measures without first registering with the government.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech | Tour Guides
D.C. Tour Guides
The First Amendment protects everyone who talks for a living, whether they’re journalists, professors or tour guides.
Gretchen's News, Articles & Publications
Liberty & Law Article