Help the Institute for Justice fight civil forfeiture at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gerardo did nothing wrong. But under current civil forfeiture laws, that doesn’t matter. Civil forfeiture allows law enforcement to seize and keep innocent Americans’ cash, cars, and homes without even charging them with a crime. Help IJ end it.
Gerardo’s case started in 2015, when he was traveling to Mexico to visit family in his brand-new F-250. As he was crossing the border, Customs and Border Protection officers searched his truck, where they found five low-caliber bullets he had forgotten in the bottom of his center console. Calling the bullets “munitions of war,” the agents seized his truck.
Five forgotten bullets are all it took for the government to argue that Gerardo was an international arms smuggler, rob him of his property and refuse to take the matter before a judge for years. The truck sat in a government impound lot until 2017, when the Institute for Justice got involved in Gerardo’s case. In all of that time, Gerardo never had an opportunity to plead his case before a judge.
Now, with the help of the Institute for Justice, Gerardo is taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Every Contribution Helps IJ Fight for Americans’ Rights
The Institute for Justice protects the constitutional rights of all Americans. IJ defends ordinary people who want to earn an honest living, own and enjoy their property, speak freely, and give their children a good education but find that the government is standing in their way-and we win 75% of our cases.
How Your Donation Helps
- Your contribution enables us to represent our clients at no cost to them-and to stand with them no matter how long their cases take. And when we win for our clients, we secure precedent that protects the rights of all Americans.
- IJ receives no money from the government. Our work is powered by more than 8,450 supporters across the country who believe in the Constitution and the ideals it enshrines. Over 80% of our funding comes from individuals like you.
- There is no better investment for defending liberty than IJ. We have litigated more than 300 cases on behalf of more than 1,000 people and turned once obscure issues like civil forfeiture and eminent domain abuse into subjects of national outrage. And IJ is a good steward of donor money, having received Charity Navigator’s top rating 18 years in a row.
IJ has litigated 9 U.S. Supreme Court cases since 2002, including 7 victories.
IJ has a 75% success rate through litigation and legislation.
IJ litigates nationwide, with 79 active cases in 32 states.
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