2024
A Year in Review
Thank you for your unwavering
support this year.
Click on the slides to witness how your impact has unfolded month by month.
January
Federal appeals court rules FBI’s security box raid unconstitutional in major Fourth Amendment win
In a resounding win for the Fourth Amendment and against civil forfeiture, the 9th Circuit said it was unconstitutional that the FBI executed a raid of a security deposit box company, broke into every box, seized their contents, and tried to keep them forever without telling box renters what they did wrong. This win will stop the FBI from executing similar raids across the country.
february
The government returns $8,040 in savings to IJ client after earlier appeals court win
Rochester police seized $8,040 from Cristal Starling’s apartment while investigating her then-boyfriend. Cristal was never charged, and her ex was acquitted, but the government kept her money until IJ helped Cristal fight back. This win builds on earlier IJ victory at the 2nd Circuit that made it easier for others in Cristal’s position to get their money back.
march
IJ secures a big win for small dairies after Oregon reverses costly mandates
In response to an IJ lawsuit, the Oregon Department of Agriculture withdrew a policy that would have subjected farms milking only a handful of animals to expensive regulations designed for massive dairies. IJ sued on behalf of farmers like Sarah King, who owns three freely grazing milk cows. The rules would have forced her to install expensive equipment designed for farms with hundreds or thousands of largely confined cows.
april
Supreme Court vacates lower court ruling that had made Texas immune from constitutional claims for just compensation
IJ scored a unanimous win at the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Texas rancher Richie DeVillier, who is fighting for compensation after the state government built a barrier that flooded his ranch. The decision overturns a lower court ruling that threatens to undermine the Constitution’s guarantee of just compensation for property owners when the government takes or destroys their land.
may
Tennessee court blocks game wardens from trespassing without warrants, protecting private property rights
Thanks to a pernicious legal notion called the open fields doctrine, state game wardens claimed sweeping power to put on full camouflage, invade people’s land, take photos, install cameras, and spy on them from behind bushes. A state appeals court decisively rejected the open fields doctrine and held that private land is entitled to protection from warrantless searches.
june
High court decision opens the courthouse doors for those Americans who have been arrested for criticizing the government
For the first time in IJ’s history, we won two cases at the U.S. Supreme Court in the same term! Sylvia Gonzalez is a Texas grandmother fighting to hold accountable the officials who jailed her for speaking out against the city government. This win overturned a lower court decision that applied an impossibly strict standard of evidence, which would’ve prevented anyone in a situation similar to Sylvia’s from getting justice.
july
Michigan Supreme Court rules against Detroit’s profit-driven car forfeiture practices
IJ client Stephanie Wilson can keep her car after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Michigan forfeited it illegally. Despite not finding any drugs, police used an anti-drug law to seize Stephanie’s car after she gave a ride to her ex-boyfriend, who was suffering from a drug addiction. The Court made clear that giving a ride to a loved one struggling with addiction isn’t the same as transporting drugs.
august
IJ secures a win straight from the bench in our case challenging a Michigan township’s attempt to shut down a completely safe “green cemetery”
Peter and Annica Quakenbush achieved a significant victory when a Michigan court ruled that local officials could not ban their conservation burial forest—a green cemetery designed to protect nature while offering eco-friendly burial options. Despite adhering to zoning laws, the township had tried to shut them down. This ruling upholds Michigan law, which protects legitimate land uses, ensuring families like the Quakenbushes can pursue innovative, environmentally conscious projects.
september
Appeals court win means retired veterinarian can continue advising pet owners in Texas and around the world
For 10 years, Dr. Ron Hines used the internet to give advice, often for free, to pet owners around the world. However, in Texas, it’s illegal for vets to give advice without physically examining an animal first. Ron was reprimanded, fined, and his license suspended. This appeals court victory in one of IJ’s longest-running case, vindicates the right to freely share information with those who want it.
OCTOBER
Ongoing: IJ helps a civil rights attorney fight back after a court imposed a gag order preventing him from discussing deaths in a private prison
Civil rights attorney Daniel Horwitz teamed up with IJ to file a federal First Amendment lawsuit after a court imposed a gag order preventing him from making public comments about one of his own lawsuits: a wrongful death case against a private prison. Speaking to the media about what the government has done wrong is a key part of public interest law, so IJ is standing up for Daniel’s First Amendment rights.
NOVEMBER
Emergency shelter immediately reopens for overnight stays after IJ win
The Flathead Warming Center, an emergency shelter in Kalispell, Montana, can stay open overnight after a federal judge granted a rare preliminary injunction. In September, with temperatures cooling and winter fast approaching, the city council voted to revoke the Warming Center’s permit, even though it has never been cited for breaking any laws. IJ is helping the private shelter fight back as part of our efforts against zoning abuse.
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