Mindy Menjou is the Institute for Justice’s assistant director of strategic research. She edits original social science research produced by the strategic research team and manages the full production and promotion process within the SR team and across other IJ teams. She also coordinates the SR team’s scoping of potential projects and manages special projects to improve the SR team’s efficiency and effectiveness.
On occasion, Mindy also co-writes studies. Her publications with IJ include Forfeiture Transparency and Accountability: State-by-State and Federal Report Cards, Municipal Fines and Fees: A 50-State Survey of State Laws, and Beauty School Debt and Drop-Outs: How State Cosmetology Licensing Fails Aspiring Beauty Workers.
Mindy holds a Master in British Studies, with a focus on the economy, law and politics, from the Humboldt University of Berlin and a Bachelor of Arts in English and French from the University of Southern California. Originally from the South Bay of Los Angeles, she lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two cats.
Mindy's Research & Reports
Cosmetology | Economic Liberty
Beauty School Debt and Drop-Outs
Cosmetology is one of the most widely and onerously regulated occupations for lower-income workers, yet little research has explored the experiences of aspiring beauty workers. This first-of-its-kind study takes advantage of federal educational…
Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Municipal Fines and Fees
Cities and towns nationwide use their power to enforce traffic, property code and other ordinances to raise revenue rather than solely to protect the public. And, as this report finds, a wide range of state…
Economic Liberty | Private Property
Finding the American Dream at Home
Across the country, millions of enterprising people are running businesses out of their homes. This report outlines the myriad benefits of home-based businesses and suggests that government regulations curtailing them are short-sighted. It details how…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Forfeiture Transparency & Accountability
Every year, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies across the United States seize and keep billions of dollars in cash, cars, homes and other property using a legal tool called forfeiture. Criminal forfeiture requires…
Mindy's News, Articles & Publications
Liberty & Law Article