Samuel Hooper

Legislative Counsel

Sam serves as Legislative Counsel at the Institute for Justice, where he works to defend free speech, property rights and economic liberty through legislative initiatives in Texas and throughout the United States.

Before joining IJ, Sam was legislative counsel at the Texas Legislative Council, the nonpartisan agency serving the Texas state legislature, where he was responsible for drafting bills in the areas of business & commerce, criminal law, occupational regulation, and property law. This involved working with representatives and senators to translate their policy goals into effective legislative language, as well as providing advice on legal and constitutional matters.

Sam was born and raised in Essex, England, working for a decade as a management consultant in London before crossing the Atlantic, becoming an American citizen and going to law school in pursuit of a more meaningful career. During this time, he held a legal fellowship with the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust and Administrative Law, working on legislation to address the market power of dominant Big Tech firms.

Sam received his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 2022, where he helped to represent Texas death row inmates as a student attorney with the Death Penalty Clinic, and a B.Sc. in Management Sciences from Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, in 2006.

Outside of work, Sam enjoys classical music, jazz, and opera, and is a Patron of the Austin Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

Samuel's Legislation

Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project

Housing Opportunities Made Easier (HOME) Act

The housing shortage is problem that can be significantly solved with one change. Scholars, state legislators and municipal officials from different backgrounds agree that a crucial component to increasing supply is to reform zoning laws.

Protecting Everyone’s Constitutional Rights Ordinance 

Immunity and Accountability

Protecting Everyone’s Constitutional Rights Ordinance 

Qualified immunity is a judge-made doctrine that shields local, state and federal government officials–not just police–from accountability.  In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court created the doctrine to ensure, in its words, it would be difficult…

Eminent Domain Act

Eminent Domain | Private Property

Eminent Domain Act

Despite mass public outcry following the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous decision in Kelo v. City of New London, eminent domain for private gain continues to threaten homeowners and small businesses. While 43 states reformed their laws…

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