James T. Knight II is an attorney at the Institute for Justice. He litigates cases defending property rights, free speech, and economic liberty in federal and state courts across the country.
He joined IJ in 2020 as a Law & Liberty Fellow after spending a year as a legal associate in the Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies.
James earned his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019. At Georgetown, he was a senior article editor on the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy and a Bradley Fellow with the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. Before that, he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in political science and philosophy from Fordham University. He is originally from New Hampshire.
James's Cases
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Texas Fresh Start Social Worker
Texas—and the country—face a two-fold problem: an exploding mental health and substance abuse crisis and a dire shortage of professional social workers to address those issues. Yet rather than make it easier for qualified applicants…
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment
Illinois Unclaimed Property
David Knott wants to help people file paperwork to recover some of the billions of dollars in “unclaimed” property that is being held by the State of Illinois. But, to do so, the government says…
4th Amendment Project | Open Fields Doctrine | Private Property
Louisiana Open Fields
Louisiana game wardens have entered Tom Manuel's land uninvited and without a warrant multiple times. He's asking courts to follow the Louisiana Constitution and protect private property from unreasonable searches.
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability
Iowa Retaliation
The right to criticize the government is a pillar of our constitutional republic—embodied in the text and history of the First Amendment. And yet, across the country that right continues to be violated by unaccountable…
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation
Wisconsin Defamation
National Public Interest Law Firm Joins Fight to End Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit in Wisconsin. IJ Defends a Community Activist Against a Village Attorney’s Frivolous and Retaliatory Defamation Lawsuit…
4th Amendment Project | Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Texas Forfeiture II
Harris County, Texas, has an unconstitutional financial incentive for law enforcement to seize property and cash excessively without probable cause, often sweeping up innocent people in the process. Ameal Woods and Jordan Davis are two…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
360 Virtual Drone Services LLC v. Ritter
Michael Jones uses his drone to take photos for clients, but North Carolina argues that in doing so he’s practicing “land surveying” and needs a license. However, that’s not at all what he’s doing and…
Fort Pierce Food Trucks
Fort Pierce, Florida used to have an incredibly restrictive rule that banned food trucks from operating within 500 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant. After two food truck operators partnered with IJ, a court ruled the…
James's Amicus Briefs
Cleveland Botanical Garden v. Wade
Ohio Supreme Court