Until four Louisiana florists teamed with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit, Louisiana was the only state in the nation that required would-be entrepreneurs to pass a licensing exam before they could create and sell floral arrangements.  Only a few months after filing a civil rights lawsuit, Chauvin v. Strain, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the Louisiana Horticulture Commission to have Louisiana’s anti-entrepreneur, anti-competitive, and anti-consumer florist licensing scheme declared unconstitutional, the Louisiana Legislature passed a law that pruned back the most arbitrary and subjective aspects of the licensing scheme.

The new law ensures that petty bureaucrats no longer have the power to arbitrarily choose who may or may not become a florist.  Among our sacred rights as American citizens is the ability to earn a living in the occupation of our choice free from arbitrary or unreasonable government interference.  By presuming to determine who is good enough to work in a harmless occupation like floristry, Louisiana was violating that right.  Thanks to IJ’s litigation and media efforts, aspiring florists are now free to pursue their chosen occupation without government interference.  Let freedom bloom!