Occupational Licensing Cases

Entrepreneur Fined $1,000 for Using Public Information to Draw Lines on Maps Files Federal Lawsuit Against California

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

Entrepreneur Fined $1,000 for Using Public Information to Draw Lines on Maps Files Federal Lawsuit Against California

Do you need a government license to trace a map from publicly available data? It might sound ridiculous, but in California the answer is “yes.” An entrepreneur joined with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a federal lawsuit challenging these regulations because they violate his First Amendment rights.

North Carolina Board Tells Retired Engineer He Can’t Talk About Engineering

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

North Carolina Board Tells Retired Engineer He Can’t Talk About Engineering

Wayne Nutt is a retired engineer who still talks about engineering and wanted to testify as an expert witness in a case that involved engineering issues. The state of North Carolina argued Wayne’s testimony was illegal because he didn’t have a license. This violates his First Amendment rights, which is why Wayne is working with IJ to fight back.

Virginia therapist launches a second First Amendment challenge to protect the right to practice talk therapy online across state lines

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

Virginia therapist launches a second First Amendment challenge to protect the right to practice talk therapy online across state lines

Elizabeth Brokamp uses talk therapy to help people improve their lives. When one of her clients relocated to New York she was able to continue speaking with the client online. She’s licensed in Virginia, where she lives, but now New York is demanding she get a license there as well. Elizabeth and IJ partnered to challenge this unnecessary and unreasonable burden.

First Amendment Lawsuit Seeks to Protect the Right to Practice Talk Therapy Across State Lines

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

First Amendment Lawsuit Seeks to Protect the Right to Practice Talk Therapy Across State Lines

Elizabeth Brokamp uses talk therapy to help people improve their lives. She’s licensed in Virginia, where she lives, near the border with D.C. But D.C. will not let her see clients online who she could normally meet with in her Virginia office. Elizabeth and IJ partnered to challenge this unnecessary and unreasonable burden.

Breastfeeding Battle: IJ Defeats Georgia's License for Lactation Consultants

Economic Liberty | Health | Occupational Licensing

Breastfeeding Battle: IJ Defeats Georgia's License for Lactation Consultants

For decades, Mary Jackson has worked as a lactation consultant, helping new moms and babies during a critical time in their lives. Then one day, Georgia passed the nation’s most restrictive licensing regime for lactation counselors, shutting down her business. Mary and a nonprofit dedicated to providing breastfeeding support to minority communities, teamed up with IJ to fight back against this ridiculous licensure scheme.

License to Teach: North Carolina Forces Makeup Artists to Teach Unrelated Skills or Face Thousands in Fines

Cosmetology | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

License to Teach: North Carolina Forces Makeup Artists to Teach Unrelated Skills or Face Thousands in Fines

Jasna Bukvic-Bhayani is a North Carolina-based professional makeup artist who wanted to open up a school to teach others how to apply makeup like her. But the state wanted her to open a full-fledged esthetics school, which would cost her hours of classes and thousands of dollars. After six months of litigating, the Board agreed to allow stand-alone makeup schools to operate without an unnecessary, government-issued license.

AirBnB Property Manager Files Constitutional Challenge To Pa. Real Estate Licensing Regime

Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing

AirBnB Property Manager Files Constitutional Challenge To Pa. Real Estate Licensing Regime

Sally helps people list their homes for short-term vacation rentals, but one day she received a call from the Pennsylvania Department of State arguing she was engaging in unlicensed real estate. She was told she would need to spend three years working for an established broker, pass two exams, and set up her own brick-and-mortar office in Pennsylvania. Instead, she enlisted the help of IJ to fight back against this unreasonable restriction on her economic liberty.
Illegal Math? A state board in Oregon is punishing people for talking about traffic lights and any other “engineering” topics

Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech

Illegal Math? A state board in Oregon is punishing people for talking about traffic lights and any other “engineering” topics

Mats Järlström is an engineer, and he used those skills to criticize the formula used on red lights, suggesting the yellow lights should last a little longer. He was hit with a $500 fine from the state of Oregon and told he could not refer to himself as an “engineer.” After fighting back, with help from IJ, a court held that Mats could safely talk about his traffic-light theories. And the court further held that the state cannot punish Mats—or anyone else—for describing themselves truthfully using the word “engineer.”