Featured Cases
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
US Citizen and Army Veteran Submits Claims for Unconstitutional Immigration Detention
George Retes, a U.S. citizen and Iraq War veteran, was detained for three days after encountering an ICE roadblock on his way to work.
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IJ Protects COnstitutional Rights
The Institute for Justice litigates to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. IJ defends ordinary people who want to earn an honest living, own and enjoy their property, speak freely, and give their children a good education but find that the government is standing in their way.
We fight to hold government officials accountable when they violate constitutional rights and to prevent governments at all levels from bending the rules to expand their power or advance illegitimate ends.
See IJ’s Supreme Court Cases
All Cases
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Long Island Man Fights for His Day in Court
When a federal employee makes a mistake that injures an innocent person, the federal government—not the victim—should bear the costs of the harm. Congress made this clear in 1946, when it…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Washington Physical Therapist Sues Leavenworth for the Right to Run a Small In-home Practice in Her Own Home
The town of Leavenworth, Wa. banned Nicole Bulow’s quiet, home-based physical therapy practice — while permitting nearly identical home businesses like massage therapy and salons. Now she's fighting back.
Economic Liberty
Texas Entrepreneur Fights a City’s Unconstitutional Dumpster Monopoly
Josh Roman built his small business from nothing. He started with a single trailer-hitched dumpster and an ad on Craigslist back in 2020. Today, American AF Dumpster Rentals, based in Waxahachie,…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
Private School, Teacher, and Parent Fight for Integrity, Innovation, and the Century-Old Promise of Freedom
When Capstone Classical Academy opened in Fargo, North Dakota, in 2022, its goal was simple: hire the best teachers possible. At first, the school focused on finding talented educators committed to…
Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Retiree’s Construction of Dream Home Blocked by Nonsensical Zoning from City After Decades of Planning
Art Yatsko has been working towards a dream for the last 20 years. Bust as Art was ready to begin construction, he was told he could no longer build a modest single-family home in his neighborhood—it had been rezoned, along with every other open lot of land in his neighborhood.
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Pennsylvania real estate broker files lawsuit challenging law requiring brokers to have brick-and-mortar offices
Pennsylvania real estate broker Kevin Gaughen has filed a lawsuit alongside the Institute for Justice challenging a law requiring brokers in Pennsylvania to have brick-and-mortar offices.
Fines and Fees | Private Property
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will decide whether the government’s fining a retiree out of his life’s savings for a paperwork violation is an “excessive fine.”
Eighty-eight-year-old retiree Tuncay Saydam is at risk of losing his life’s savings. Not because of a bad investment or a fraudulent scheme. Rather, the federal government is trying to fine Tuncay…
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Institute for Justice joins lawsuit defending family bar threatened with fines and even jail time for using “barbershop” theme to honor owners’ late father
Institute for Justice joins lawsuit defending family bar threatened with fines and even jail time for using “barber shop” theme to honor owners’ late father When Mike DiGiacomo and…
Commercial Speech | First Amendment
Equine Body Work Teachers Sue Wisconsin for Violation of First Amendment Right to Occupational Speech
Jim Masterson has been working with animals for almost 30 years. But Wisconsin said he can’t teach without subjecting Jim’s school to an all-encompassing review of everything from Jim’s curriculum to intrusive inquiries into his business model.
4th Amendment Project | License Plate Readers | Private Property
San Jose residents file federal lawsuit challenging city's use of nearly 500 license plate reader cameras
San Jose residents file federal class action lawsuit challenging city's use of nearly 500 license plate read cameras.
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Atlanta Woman Sues Officers, U.S. Government for Wrongly Raiding Her Home in Search of Man Already in Jail
More than a dozen heavily armed law enforcement officers stormed Cathy George's apartment, looking for a fugitive who had no connection to Cathy and who was already in custody.
Fines and Fees | Private Property
Small Kentucky Farm Fights Federal Government for a Fair Trial
David and Debbie Ross of Triple R Farms are fighting for their constitutional right to a real court and jury trial.
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation
Arizona Educator Sues County Attorney Whose Hired Thugs Bullied Him Out of Election Campaign
Fernie Madrid ran for school superintendent in Apache, but he was running against the wife of the County Attorney, Michael Whiting. Whiting used his employees to retaliate against Fernie and bully him out of the race. Now, Fernie is suing over the violation of his First Amendment rights.
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
Small Business Challenges Oklahoma's Unconstitutional Restrictions on Casket Sales
Small business challenges Oklahoma's unconstitutional restrictions on casket sales
4th Amendment Project | Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Portland Family Files Lawsuit After SWAT Team Arrested Innocent 16-Year-Old at Gunpoint
Parents sue after a SWAT team detained their innocent 16-year-old son at gunpoint as he walked to lunch.
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Lighthouse Sues Wenatchee for Shuttering Soup Kitchen to Satisfy Politically Connected Complainers
Lighthouse Christian Ministries is suing after Wenatchee officials revoked the soup kitchen's permit without warning, shutting down a vital resource that served 75-100 people daily.
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
Dallas Bar Owner Asks Supreme Court to Let His Suit Over Bogus Prosecution Move Forward
A Dallas bar owner asks the Supreme Court to deny immunity to the police detective who led a bogus investigation against him.
Private Property
Miami's Unconstitutional Land Taking Scheme Targets More Than a Thousand Homeowners Across the City
A Miami homeowner and Navy veteran is challenging the city's practice of demanding that permit applicants surrender portions of their property without just compensation.
Private Property | Rental Caps
Lawsuit Challenges New York Law That Keeps Apartments Off the Market During a Housing Crisis
Small property owners challenge New York's rent stabilization laws on vacant apartments, which keep tens of thousands of units empty amid a housing crisis.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Swim Instructor Sues After City Changed Its Tune and Banned Her Backyard Business
Libby Souder legally taught swim lessons in her backyard for years, then Columbia, S.C. changed its tune and banned her business.