James T. Knight II is an attorney at the Institute for Justice.
He joined IJ in 2020 as a Law & Liberty Fellow after spending a year as a legal associate in the Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies.
James earned his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019. At Georgetown he was a senior article editor on the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy and a Bradley Fellow with the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. During law school, James interned at the D.C. Superior Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and the Cato Institute.
James graduated, magna cum laude, with a B.A. in political science and philosophy from Fordham University in 2016, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and treasurer of the Debate Society. He is originally from New Hampshire.
James's Cases
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation
Iowa Retaliation
The right to criticize the government is a pillar of our constitutional republic—embodied in the text and history of the First Amendment. And yet, across the country that right continues to be violated by unaccountable…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation
IJ Joins Fight to End Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit in Wisconsin
National Public Interest Law Firm Joins Fight to End Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit in Wisconsin. IJ Defends a Community Activist Against a Village Attorney’s Frivolous and Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit…
4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Texas Forfeiture II
Harris County, Texas, has an unconstitutional financial incentive for law enforcement to seize property and cash excessively without probable cause, often sweeping up innocent people in the process. Ameal Woods and Jordan Davis are two…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
North Carolina’s Surveying Board Grounds Small-Business Drone Operators
Michael Jones uses his drone to take photos for clients, but North Carolina argues that in doing so he’s practicing “land surveying” and needs a license. However, that’s not at all what he’s doing and…
Food Truck Owners Challenge One of the Most Anti-Competitive Vending Restrictions in the Country
Fort Pierce, Florida used to have an incredibly restrictive rule that banned food trucks from operating within 500 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant. After two food truck operators partnered with IJ, a court ruled the…
James's Amicus Briefs
Cleveland Botanical Garden v. Wade
Ohio Supreme Court