Meagan Forbes

Meagan Forbes serves as the Institute for Justice’s Director of Legislation and Senior Legislative Counsel. Meagan advocates for legislative reform across the country in the areas of economic liberty, free speech, property rights and other civil liberties.

Meagan works with policymakers nationwide to lift regulatory barriers to work and to reduce the breadth of occupational licensing. She focuses on reducing licensing barriers that prevent people from accessing lower-income occupations and from working with a criminal record. Meagan also has been instrumental in reforming restrictive cottage food laws in several states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma, and simplifying laws for food trucks in Georgia.

Before turning to legislative work, Meagan litigated constitutional cases in federal and state courts. She was the lead attorney in a lawsuit brought by a group of African hair braiders in Iowa that resulted in the state repealing its burdensome licensing requirements for hair braiding. She also was part of a team that helped defend the City of Milwaukee against a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages after the city lifted its protectionist cap on taxi permits. Her work has been featured by MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today and other print, radio and television outlets.

Prior to joining the Institute, Meagan served as a judicial law clerk in the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District.

Meagan received her law degree from Louisiana State University’s Law Center in 2012. While in law school, she was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and worked on a variety of policy issues at the Louisiana State Capitol.

Meagan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University in 2009. She is originally from New Orleans, La.