IJ's Cases
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Grandparents Sue Granite State Over Unconstitutional Restriction on School Choice Program
The town of Croydon, New Hampshire does not operate a middle school and instead pays students’ tuition at nearby public or private schools. But a New Hampshire law prevented Croydon families from spending the money to choose a religious school. After a family challenged the law in court, the Legislature eliminated the unconstitutional restriction.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
IJ Takes on the Fight for Owners’ “Right to Rent” in Wilmington, N.C.
Dennis and Peg Schroeder have invested substantial money in their home and chose to rent it out as part of their retirement plan. The city of Wilmington is trying to deprive them of their right to rent their own property. Dennis and Peg are standing up for their property rights, with IJ’s help.
Educational Choice
North Carolina Parents Join Forces To Defend The State’s Opportunity Scholarship Program (“OSP”) From Yet Another Legal Attack
North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program is the most popular school choice program in the state and offers a quality education for more than 12,000 students. Now, a coalition of parents has joined forces with IJ to defend the program against attacks from its opponents.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Case asks court to end “policing for profit” and restore South Carolinians’ expectation that they are innocent until proven guilty
South Carolina’s civil forfeiture laws violate the rights of all South Carolinians to be free from excessive fines and fees. Caught up in this was Travis Green who had his money seized. Now, he is fighting to get it back, with IJ’s help.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment
Lawsuit Challenges Ca. Funeral Directors’ Monopoly on End-of-Life Care
Akhila Murphy and Donna Peizer are end of life doulas – they offer families assistance during at-home funerals. They don’t direct funerals, but California has argued they are acting as unlicensed funeral directors. With the help of IJ, Akhila and Donna are fighting for their right to help families with emotional and practical support during at-home funerals.
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start | Occupational Licensing
California Firefighter Fresh Start
Dario Gurrola is a part-time firefighter who wants to turn his passion into a full-time job. But California prevents him from getting an EMT license because of a prior criminal conviction for which he’s already paid his debt to society. Dario and another firefighter named Fernando have joined with IJ to fight for their right to earn an honest living.
Rule of Law | Unjust Proceedings
Memphis Residents File Lawsuit Against Shelby County Environmental Court for Affording No Real Due Process
When a court proceeding may result in a person losing their home, the U.S. Constitution demands a fair process with rigorous safeguards against erroneous deprivation. But the process is Shelby County, Tennessee, is anything but fair. IJ has partnered with two victims of the court to ensure the court comes into compliance with the Constitution’s Due Process Clause.
Economic Liberty | Health
Montana Bans Doctors from Offering Medications to Their Patients Just to Protect Pharmacies from Competition
The vast majority of states allow patients to purchase medications directly from their prescribing doctor. For years, this practice was banned in Montana, until IJ stepped in to challenge the law and lawmakers immediately moved to end the ban.
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
An Arizona county uses its zoning code to suspend constitutional rights
Yavapai County’s zoning system almost crippled Joshua’s and Emily’s wedding retreat business that they were running on their property. The pandemic made it impossible to pursue their legal claims, and so we voluntarily dismissed their challenge. Undeterred, they intend to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams when life returns to normal.
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom
Lincoln Home Baker Challenges City’s Unnecessary Regulations
Lincoln, Nebraska imposed restrictions on home bakers that the state itself decided to get rid of. One home baker named Cindy Baker teamed up with IJ to successfully challenge Lincoln’s foolish restriction.
Rule of Law | Unjust Proceedings
New Orleans Ankle Monitors
Judges must be impartial when deciding to deprive a person of his or her property. Unfortunately, one judge in New Orleans has been ordering individuals to wear an ankle monitor from a company in which he has a personal financial stake. Two of those individuals have joined with IJ to challenge this corrupt system.
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
Utah Private Investigators
Jeremy Barnes is a former police officer who runs his own private investigator company in Idaho, near the Utah border. Utah has prevented Jeremy from earning an honest living because he lives three minutes across the border. The Constitution is clear that states cannot discriminate against residents of other states.
Economic Liberty
Nebraska law requires business owner to get his competitors’ permission in order to transport patients
Marc is allowed to drive customers to the grocery store, but if he wants to drive them to the pharmacy or a routine doctor’s appointment, he needs permission from his competitors. This nonsensical rule hurts both Marc and his patients, but he’s fighting back, with IJ’s help.
Economic Liberty | Health
North Carolina Ophthalmologist Challenges Outdated Certificate of Need (“CON”) Law
The government should never prevent doctors from safely providing affordable health care services their patients need. But that’s exactly what North Carolina, along with 34 other states, do every day. Dr. Jay Singleton is working with IJ to challenge North Carolina’s foolish certificate of need law.
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Private Solutions to Public Problems
Neighbors Challenge County’s Burdensome Regulations on Little Free Pantries
Thanks to a lawsuit she filed with IJ, Kathy Hay can now share food with her neighbors in Asotin County, Washington, using a “little free pantry” in her backyard. Before the lawsuit, Kathy wasn’t allowed to use the little blue cupboard in her backyard to help feed members of her impoverished community without obtaining government approval and following a list of unnecessary demands from the county health department.
4th Amendment Project | Open Fields Doctrine | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Landowners sue to stop warrantless searches
Tennessee Wildlife officials were caught putting cameras on Terry Rainwaters’ property, ignoring his “No Trespassing” signs. Terry and another rural Tennessee property owner are joining forces with IJ to fight back against the “open fields doctrine” that permits this action in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom
North Dakota Food Freedom
Five North Dakotans teamed up with IJ to sue the Department of Health for illegally passing regulations on selling homemade baked goods. Now, North Dakota is again one of the best states in the country for food freedom.
Immunity and Accountability | Rule of Law
Taking on The Shell Games That Allow Federal/State Task Force Members To Violate Your Rights
After misidentifying him as a non-violent fugitive, police brutally beat James King, choked him unconscious, and then prosecuted him to hide their mistake.
Educational Choice | Publicly Funded Scholarships
Tennessee Parents Intervene in Court to Defend Education Savings Account Program
In 2019, Tennessee enacted an Education Savings Account that helped thousands of low-and-middle-income students receive a quality education. A year later, the mayor of Nashville announced a lawsuit attacking the program. A group of Tennessee families have teamed up with IJ to save the program.
4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Class Action Lawsuit Challenges Detroit’s Unconstitutional Civil Forfeiture Program
For decades, residents of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan have lived under constant threat of having their cars taken away and ransomed back to them for $1,000 or more—that is, if the car is ever recovered. In 2020, two Detroiters teamed up with IJ to challenge this unconstitutional civil forfeiture program.
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property | Rule of Law
Institute for Justice Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Hold Government Officials Accountable For Destroying Idaho Home with Grenades
If you tell police they can go into your home, does that mean they can also legally stand outside and pepper it with shotgun-fired tear gas grenades—destroying everything inside? That is the question asked by a petition to the Supreme Court of the United States filed by IJ on behalf of Idaho resident Shaniz West.
4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Air Travelers Sue DEA and TSA Over Airport Cash Seizures
Retired railroad engineer Terry Rolin’s life savings were seized by the government, but he hasn’t been charged with any crime. Now he and his daughter are working with IJ to get his money back and fight back against unconstitutional civil forfeitures.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
Lawsuit Challenges Arizona Engineering Licensing Law
Greg Mills has been an engineer for more than 30 years, but now a group of industry insiders on a government board are saying he needs a license he does not actually need. IJ and Greg are appealing a lower court’s decision that said Greg must endure a lengthy administrative process before he can assert his constitutional rights in court.
Economic Liberty | Health
Nepali Immigrants Sue Kentucky Over Law That Stopped Them from Opening a Home Health Care Business
Two Nepali immigrants wanted to open a home health care business to help people in their community, but Kentucky law let their potential competitors stop them from opening up. The two have teamed up with IJ to challenge Kentucky’s foolish CON law in federal court.
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Lech v. Greenwood Village
Police destroyed the home of Leo and Alfonsina Lech while pursuing a fugitive and refused to pay for the damage that was caused. While the Supreme Court declined to hear the Lechs’ case, IJ is committed to ensuring the government pays when it must violate a person’s property rights.
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Miami Woman Appeals to the Supreme Court to Get Back Every Dollar Federal Agents Wrongly Took From Her
Miladis Salgado returned home one day to find the DEA had seized her life savings, even though she did nothing wrong. Her money was eventually given back to her, but the government should not be able take your property, keep it for years, and then suddenly give it back and pretend like nothing happened. Unfortunately, in April 2020, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Institute for Justice Asks U.S. Supreme Court to End Colorado Law Permitting Neighbors to Engage in Eminent Domain Abuse
Imagine if two of your neighbors got together, claimed they established a new town, and then “voted” to take your property from you using eminent domain. Crazy, right? Not in Colorado, where the owners of Woodcrest Homes battled a competing developer’s attempt to use eminent domain to take their property. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court decided not to hear IJ’s case, meaning this abuse can continue.
Fines and Fees | Private Property
Washington Street Fees
Linda Cameron wanted to add a bedroom and bathroom to her modest home, but the city of Richland told her she’d first have to pay for renovations to the city’s streets adjoining her property. The city agreed to change its unconstitutional law after Linda enlisted the help of IJ to challenge the law.
4th Amendment Project | Private Property | Rental Inspections
Landlord and Tenants Sue Illinois City Challenging Unconstitutional Home Inspections
Josefina Lozano and three of her tenants have joined with IJ to file a federal lawsuit to shut down the city of Zion’s warrantless inspection program, which allows the city to intrude on the privacy rights of tenants and landlords without a warrant.
Educational Choice | Tax Credit Scholarships
Nevada’s Legislature ignores the state’s Constitution to reduce support for educational choice
In 2019, lawmakers in Nevada passed a law that undermines the state’s successful school choice program by reducing the number of available tax credits. Nevada parents, a scholarship organization, and private donors teamed up with IJ to challenge the constitutionality of this reduction.