Economic Liberty Cases
Texas Construction Dumpsters 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, Texas, has four trucks,…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
North Dakota Teacher Licensing
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 the school’s mission and…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Pennsylvania Real Estate Office Requirement
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.
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Sign Codes
Nebraska Barber Shop Free Speech
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 his siblings wanted to remodel…
Commercial Speech | Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing
Oklahoma Caskets II
Small business challenges Oklahoma's unconstitutional restrictions on casket sales…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Columbia, South Carolina Home Swim Lessons
Libby Souder legally taught swim lessons in her backyard for years, then Columbia, S.C. changed its tune and banned her business.
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Maine Backyard Chickens
A family is using Maine's first-in-the-nation Right to Food amendment to challenge a small town ordinance effectively bans backyard chickens.
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom
Texas Cultivated Meat
Wildtype and UPSIDE Foods challenge Texas's ban on cultivated meat. Texas’ ban is about one thing: protecting in-state agricultural interest from innovative, out-of-state competition.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Pennsylvania Home Auto Shop
A Pennsylvania man who has operated an auto repair business on his 16-acre property for 24 years faces shutdown from the township zoning board.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Clayton County, Georgia Protectionist Zoning
In Clayton County, Georgia, government officials blocked Khalilah Few from opening her natural hair salon—simply because they didn't think it’s the “right fit” for the neighborhood.
4th Amendment Project | Economic Liberty | Private Property
FinCEN Border Cash Surveillance
Money services businesses challenged a federal surveillance order requiring reports on low-dollar cash transactions near the southwest border.
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Texas Fresh Start Social Worker
Two woman who overcame addiction and earned master's degrees in social work challenge a Texas law that permanently bars them from helping others because of old convictions.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
South Fulton Protectionist Zoning
In America, the government doesn’t get to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. Businesses compete, and the consumer ultimately decides which services or products they want. The idea that anyone can open a storefront…
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom
Florida Cultivated Meat Ban
Florida banned cultivated meat to protect its cattle industry from competition, but the Constitution prohibits states from closing their borders to innovative out-of-state products.
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Virginia Fresh Start II
People who have overcome drug or alcohol addiction often want to help others overcome addiction, too. Their firsthand experience can make them particularly well-suited to guide others through recovery. Melissa Brown is one of those…
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…
Oregon Small Dairies
Small dairies are suing the Oregon Department of Agriculture after it applied rules meant for big dairies. The change came at the request of the dairy industry, not because of health or safety concerns.
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…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Michigan Green Cemetery
Americans want more choice for one of the last and most important decisions they will ever make: where to be buried. Peter and Annica Quakenbush want to provide fellow Michiganders with more choice by opening…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Speech
North Carolina Legal Advice
The First Amendment’s protection for free speech isn’t limited to political advocacy or expressions of personal opinion—it extends to speech on all topics. That includes expert advice that people earn a living providing, an area…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
California PI License
Jay Fink has a simple business. If you’re a Californian getting too much spam, he’ll look through your junk folder and pull out the emails that might violate California’s anti-spam law. Then you can decide…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Maryland Grocery Fresh Start
When the government judges someone’s integrity, it should do so based on who they are today—not who they were 20 years ago. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), however, imposes a permanent ban from…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Private Property | Vending
North Carolina Food Trucks
Jacksonville, North Carolina effectively bans food trucks from operating in 96 percent of the city. That's why a group of small business owners has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit…
Arizona Charitable Sharing
Norma Thornton was arrested for feeding the hungry in Bullhead City Community Park. Now, Norma has teamed up with IJ to fight back against Bullhead's law criminalizing charitable sharing in federal court.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Crownholm v. Moore
Do you need a government license to trace a map from publicly available data? It might sound ridiculous, but in California the answer is “yes.” An entrepreneur joined with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to…
Cosmetology | Economic Liberty
Oklahoma Eyelashes
Brandy Davis is a licensed eyelash extension specialist who is being blocked from doing her job by the Oklahoma Board of Cosmetology and Licensing. She's suing in state court to challenge the board's licensing requirements.
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Knoxville Radio
Joe Armstrong brought Black community focused radio back on the air in Knoxville, Tennessee. Now he's fighting the FCC for his license, not for anything he put out over the air, but for an old…
Economic Liberty | Hair Braiding | Occupational Licensing
Idaho Braiding
Three braiders in Idaho challenged state requirements to spend thousands of dollars and a year of their lives for an unnecessary license.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Texas Home Day Care
Bianca King is a single mother with two young children. Until recently, she was able to raise her 2-and 4-year-old kids while making a living running a small day care out of her home. But…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Texas Mechanic
Azael Sepulveda recently purchased a new mechanic shop, but the city of Pasadena will not let him open until he provides 28 parking spaces, which he does not need. Azael has partnered with IJ to…