Sam Gedge is a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, where he litigates to protect private property, free speech, and other individual rights.

In his time at IJ, Sam has launched cases battling civil forfeiture and overzealous licensing boards, which have generated widespread coverage in media outlets from Wired and The Atlantic to The New York Times and London’s Daily Mail. In the landmark Excessive Fines Clause case of Timbs v. Indiana, Sam twice represented Tyson Timbs before the Indiana Supreme Court. He also is lead counsel in a class-action lawsuit challenging contingency-fee prosecutors in Indiana and is on the trial team challenging a notorious policing-for-profit scheme in Brookside, Alabama.

Before joining IJ, Sam worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP, where he focused on litigation and election law. He clerked for Judge Raymond W. Gruender of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and summa cum laude from the University of Connecticut.

Sam's Cases

Private Property

Indiana Jury Trials

Indiana Jury Trials The right to a trial by jury is fundamental to our system of justice. Particularly when the government is trying to confiscate property, the jury (as one court has put it) “stands…

Civil Forfeiture | Private Property

Indiana Forfeiture Defense Appeal

The state of Indiana is attempting to make Terry Abbott win back his seized money in court without a lawyer. However, IJ has stepped in to defend Terry on appeal and is urging the court…

Eminent Domain | Private Property

Pipelines & Eminent Domain: Take Now, Pay (Much) Later

A pipeline company abused eminent domain to take property from the Erbs without paying them for the taking. IJ petitioned the Supreme Court to take the Erbs’ case, but unfortunately the court declined to hear…

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Sam's Amicus Briefs

Sam's News, Articles & Publications

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