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Institute for Justice updates

Stephen Lara ([link removed] )

Civil Forfeiture

Nevada Court Shuts Down Police Use of Federal Loophole for Civil Forfeiture

In a major victory for property rights, a judge ruled that Nevada law enforcement cannot use a federal program to bypass state laws that protect property owners. The decision shuts down a legal loophole that allowed officers to seize property under state law and process it federally—while still receiving an up-to-80% kickback from the proceeds. The court rejected that claim, finding no such loophole exists under Nevada law.

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Strategic Research

New Study Shows That Heavier Licensing Burdens Do Not Improve Health and Safety

A new IJ report questions one of the basic assumptions underlying government licensing of certain occupations: that it is needed to protect health and safety. The report, Clean Cut, looks at whether nail salons and barbershops in states with differing licensing burdens for workers did better or worse when it came to health inspections.

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Rebecca Brown ([link removed] )

Civil Forfeiture

DEA Ends Transportation Interdiction Program After Watchdog Report Triggered by Footage Showing Agents Threatening, Abusing Innocent Traveler

In a memo quietly issued this month, the Drug Enforcement Administration ceased operations of its controversial Transportation Interdiction Program (TIP). The program’s “consensual encounters” with travelers were suspended by the Department of Justice in November after the release of a critical Office of Inspector General report. That report was in response to a video IJ released last July showing a traveler’s confrontation with DEA agents.

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Reports

Clean Cut Report ([link removed] )

Occupational Licensing | January 2025

Clean Cut

States force barbers and beauty workers to spend a lot of time and money on schooling before they can get a license to work. But Clean Cut shows this doesn't make consumers safer. This study analyzed thousands of health inspections across four states and found nail salons and barbershops were clean and safe, regardless of the licensing workers faced.

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IJ Podcasts

BTB ([link removed] )

Beyond the Brief: Badges & Bulldozers— Georgia's Home Destructions

We all want to feel secure in our homes, and if the reckless or abusive acts of government officials violate that security, we expect to be able to hold them accountable. IJ recently launched two cases in Georgia to uphold that principle—one in which a town bulldozed a home without warning or compensation and another where FBI agents violently raided the wrong house.

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Short Circuit ([link removed] )

Short Circuit: Net Neutrality Flip Flops

Short Circuit celebrates our 10th anniversary with an episode on a net neutrality case and a religious liberties case.

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