Institute for Justice

For 35 years, the Institute for Justice has come to the aid of real people fighting outrageous government abuse.

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

Stand with IJ!

Join our Monthly Donors for $24/month by October 16 & get the exclusive 2027 IJ calendar. For a limited time, your first month’s gift will be matched by an IJ donor.

Your support fights government abuse & ensures justice for all. Sign up at https://t.co/hoXcmBPm6i.

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

Press Conference: Business Owner Sues Feds Over $460,000 Seizure https://t.co/YY39eUDWx4

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

16 months of silence is not an investigation. It's an unconstitutional confiscation.
https://t.co/UCh0yK0Tyr

[Dan King 🇺🇦 @Kinger_DC]

As IJ Attorney Betsy Sanz says about this case, "the government cannot take your stuff and then ghost you."
https://t.co/SPH7Nm4D0B

[Dan King 🇺🇦 @Kinger_DC]

Last February, DHS and the IRS raided 19 Phoenix-area money services businesses and seized money without ever charging anyone with a crime.

Today, @IJ teamed up with one of those businesses, Ayala's Mini Market to file a federal lawsuit. 🧵
https://t.co/NvWqiXit7c

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

Joe's 4th-generation farm was ruined after the Department of Labor (acting as prosecutor, judge, and jury) handed him a $550,000 liability for alleged regulation violations and back wages.

In 3 weeks, the Supreme Court will hear Joe's case and consider whether the Constitution requires the government to press its case in a neutral—not administrative—court.

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

Your daily drive shouldn’t become a government tracking record. 🚗

Join us in Loveland or Denver to learn how automatic license plate readers enable mass surveillance and how you can help advance stronger privacy protections in Colorado.

RSVP for these events and get involved: https://t.co/HZObzW4jHU

📍 Loveland | October 21
5:30–7:00 PM
Chilson Recreation Center, Cherry Room
700 E 4th Street
Cohosted with the League of Women Voters of Larimer County.

📍 Denver | October 22
5:30–8:00 PM
The Colorado People’s Center
730 21st Street
Featuring Sen. Judy Amabile and representatives from IJ, the ACLU of Colorado, and the League of Women Voters of Colorado.

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

Armed Officers Raided the Wrong Home

Cold and terrified, Cathy was detained at gunpoint while officers ransacked her home searching for a man named Joshua Smiley.

But Smiley was not there. Nor did he have any connection to Cathy, her home, or the building.

Had the officers run the most basic of checks, they would have realized that Smiley had been behind bars for 4 months after being publicly arrested.

Learn more about Cathy's fight for accountability here:
https://t.co/6cW4V6upRu

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

How Many Times Do You Have to Win to Get Justice?

This decision exemplifies how difficult it can be to receive a remedy from the federal government or its agents, even when their victims are completely blameless.

But we are optimistic that the panel’s decision could clear the way to broader relief—both for the Martin family and others like them.

Stay tuned.

https://t.co/vTHdyPbdef

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

In November, IJ launched an ambitious case: a constitutional challenge to a core aspect of New York’s rent stabilization law. Many others have tried (and failed).

IJ, however, is poised to succeed—in part because our case uniquely focuses on vacant apartments.

Learn more about our case here:
https://t.co/fCknANXCcJ

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

New York City has a housing shortage.

At the same time, tens of thousands of apartments sit vacant because New York’s Rent Stabilization Law (#NYRSL) makes it economically unfeasible for building owners to lease them.
🧵
@emmma_camp_

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

Town Cries Fowl Over Family's Lawn Art—$2000 in Fines??

This is a textbook content-based speech restriction.

Now, IJ is asking Ogunquit, Maine to do the right thing: rescind the fines and let a little girl keep her roosters in peace.

Learn more here:
https://t.co/24WjMpTbck

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

To add context and further inform public debate on the issue, the IJ released an explainer on why the results should not be interpreted as showing that Flock ALPRs caused a decline in car thefts and increase in arrests.

Learn more here: https://t.co/MWJVSvv5Mm
#ALPR #Surveillance #4thAmendment #Privacy

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

The Truth About Flock Cameras and Car Theft
🧵

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

A recent working paper by scholars at the University of South Carolina examined the impact of Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers (ALPRs) on car theft and car theft clearance rates.

The study purports to show a reduction in car thefts and an increase in the clearance rate after Flock deployment. Flock issued a statement latching on to these findings as a validation of the technology at a time of massive public backlash.

A closer look, however, reveals limitations in the study that suggest those claims are too strong.
https://t.co/lqU1M34nID

[Patrick Jaicomo @pjaicomo]

The @IJ cert. petitions in Hadley v. South Bend and Pena v. Los Angeles have been relisted for a second time.

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

This Town Is Trying to Police Private Hiking Trails

For over a year, officials gave Charles and Eli Copley conflicting answers and couldn't point to a single ordinance that actually bans allowing others to walk on your property—even for a small fee.

Fortunately, state law protects the rights of homeowners like the Copleys + the Connecticut Constitution protects all residents of the state from irrational government restrictions on property use as well.

Now, IJ and the Copleys are demanding a reasonable interpretation of the #zoning code that respects both the rural character of the community and essential private property rights.

Learn more about this case here: https://t.co/9OGhknfwDV

#RoxburyCT #Hiking #ZoningJustice

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

What happens when big business teams up with big government to crush the little guy?

A new documentary series, now streaming on Prime Video, tells that outrageous story—and features IJ’s own @JustinPearsonIJ, Managing Attorney of our Florida office and director of IJ’s National Street Vending Initiative.

Add it to your watchlist and see what entrepreneurs are up against when powerful interests use the law to shut out competition.
https://t.co/dnbuVBovSA

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

Can Police Search Your Yard Without a Warrant?

Your privacy shouldn’t depend on legal guesswork. That’s why IJ is fighting to abolish the Open Fields Doctrine and restore stronger Fourth Amendment protections for private property.

Join our fight against the open fields doctrine at https://t.co/2y6gkcHHI3.

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

SWAT Raided Their Home Over the Wrong Car—#QualifiedImmunity Denied!

Learn more about this case here:
https://t.co/3bjWfCWyeL

[Institute for Justice @IJ]

IJ in the states! As part of our ongoing work to protect property rights and help make housing more affordable we’re excited to share the new Yes to Homes website, from a coalition of groups working towards a similar goal in Minnesota!

Check out our work on this vital issue:
https://t.co/Vt8ZDms6ge