Cases

Legislation

In addition to fighting in court on behalf of small business owners, school choice advocates, property owners and free speech issues, the Institute for Justice has a legislative team working to make changes at the local and state government levels.

IJ advocates on behalf of property owners, entrepreneurs and others whose homes, livelihoods and freedom of speech are threatened by pointless, overreaching and unnecessary government regulation.  Our legislative team engages in carefully selected efforts across the country to pass pro-liberty legislation and defeat anti-liberty legislation by employing IJ’s arsenal of legal analysis, strategic communications, activism and research.  
 
Sometimes we stand alone at state capitols and city council meetings as the only advocates of government reducing the things it does.  In other cases, we join forces with other organizations to advance liberty.
 
Legislation is not always enacted in one legislative session.  To ensure long run success, IJ’s legislative efforts will always be principled, researched-based and honestly presented. Importantly, we begin every legislative effort with a clear understanding of both what freedoms we want to achieve and when we will walk away because the proposed compromise violates our principles.

• Model Legislation
• Model Forfeiture Reporting Law-Providing Data to State Legislators to Monitor Forfeiture
• Model Economic Liberty Law 2-Freeing entrepreneurs from anticompetitive regulations
• Model Anti-SLAPP Law-Short-circuiting Lawsuits Intended to Intimidate
• Model Eminent Domain Law-Stopping Pretextual Use of Blight
• Model Economic Liberty Law 1-Protecting the right to pursue an occupation
• Model Criminal Forfeiture Law-Standard to deter crime and protect property

• Current Legislation
• Georgia Civil Forfeiture-Georgia Legislators Must Reform the State’s Civil Forfeiture Laws
• Minnesota Criminal Forfeiture-Fighting Crime While Protecting Property Rights

• Completed Legislation
• Wisconsin Eminent Domain Reform-Narrowing “Blight” To Protect Property Rights
• Minnesota Direct Sales of Caskets-Clearer Laws Make for More Competition
• Minnesota Taxi and Household Goods Movers-Opening intrastate transporation markets
• Minnesota Interior Design-Stopping Interior Designer Licensure in Minnesota
• Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act-Freeing Horse Teeth Floaters
• Minnesota Economic Liberty-Creating a Statutory Right to an Occupation