Matt Liles is a Litigation Fellow at the Institute for Justice. He returns to IJ after having worked as both a law clerk and intern in IJ’s Arlington, Virginia office. A native Texan, Matt received his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, where he also served as Submissions Editor for the Texas Review of Law & Politics.
After completing the Fellowship, Matt will serve as a judicial clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He is a member of the District of Columbia bar.
Matt's Cases
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Leonard Hoffmann v. WBI Energy Transmission
North Dakota ranchers fought a pipeline company with eminent domain power for the fair value of their land. But an appeals court said the company did not have to pay the ranchers' attorney fees. That…
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Minnesota ADU
Alex and Lynda Pepin believe in using what they have to help others. So when their hometown—Blaine, Minnesota—recently passed a law allowing homeowners to build backyard homes (known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs), they…
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Flathead Warming Center
The Flathead Warming Center—an emergency shelter in Kalispell, Montana—suffered a cruel blow as winter approaches. On September 16, 2024, the Kalispell City Council voted 6-3 to revoke the Warming Center’s permit, even though it has…
Civil Forfeiture | Private Property
Indiana Parcel Forfeiture
Henry and Minh Cheng, who run a wholesale jewelry business, are fighting Indiana to keep money a customer sent them through FedEx. Indiana police seized the money and prosecutors are trying to take it through…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Virginia Retaliation
Theslet Benoir and Clemene Bastien are a married couple that immigrated to the United States from Haiti in 2005. They received asylum, settled in Parksley, Virginia, and opened a brick-and-mortar store that caters to the…
Matt's News, Articles & Publications
Liberty & Law Article
Previously Confidential Documents Expose Retaliation Against IJ Clients
Liberty & Law Article
IJ Puts Freeze On Montana Town’s Attempt To Shut Emergency Shelter
Matt's Podcasts
October 17, 2025
Short Circuit 398 | Religious Fact Checks
“Religion” and “fact checks” don’t normally go together. But an employer did so when some employees tried to obtain a religious accommodation from a COVID […]
Listen NowOctober 09, 2025
A Pipeline Demanded Their Land for Pennies. They Fought Back.
When the government, or even a private company, takes your land using eminent domain, the law promises you just compensation. But what about the thousands […]
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