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Zoning Justice Project

Washington Town Shuts Down Soup Kitchen To Satisfy Politically Connected Complainers

With winter here, a Wenatchee soup kitchen sits dark and empty—not because of health or safety problems, but because the city of Wenatchee shut it down. Now, Lighthouse Christian Ministries, represented by IJ, is suing in federal court to reopen its doors and defend the right of charities to use their property to help people in need.

For six years, Lighthouse Christian Ministries faithfully served hot meals each day to anyone who was hungry, providing a safe and supervised space for Wenatchee’s low-income and homeless residents. Yet in May 2025, after a handful of complaints from politically-connected business owners, Wenatchee revoked Lighthouse’s conditional use permit—the legal authorization required to operate in its industrial neighborhood.

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Fourth Amendment

Victory: Court Win Puts Renters’ Privacy Rights On Same Level As Owners’

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the borough of Pottstown’s ordinance allowing officials to search rental homes without a warrant based on probable cause is unconstitutional. The decision comes more than eight years after Pottstown residents Dottie and Omar Rivera, and their landlord. Steve Camburn, teamed up with IJ to file a lawsuit challenging the rental inspection ordinance.

“This is a massive victory for the privacy and property rights of renters throughout Pennsylvania,” said IJ Senior Attorney Jeffrey Redfern. “If the government wants to search your home, it needs a warrant based on probable cause. You don’t lose that protection because you rent your home.”

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Immunity & Accountability

Innocent Man Brutalized By Police Asks Supreme Court Again To Hear Case

An innocent man who was brutalized by members of a joint federal/state police task force in 2014 once again asked the United States Supreme Court to hear his case. This is the third time James King and his attorneys from IJ have petitioned the nation’s highest court to hear his case, but the law has changed since the previous times the case was before the court. In 2020, Brownback v. King became the first case in IJ’s Project on Immunity and Accountability argued before the United States Supreme Court. James’ case began when officers misidentified and brutally beat him.

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Happy Holidays From the Institute for Justice!

The Martin family, who won at the U.S. Supreme Court in June, aren't the only IJ clients dancing around the tree and other symbols of the holidays this year. Clients in 21 other IJ cases scored victories advancing freedom and securing justice in 2025.

Here's to many more wins in 2026!

WATCH: City Gets Coal for Christmas: Soup Kitchen Sues to Reopen ([link removed] )

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IJ Podcasts

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Beyond The Brief: Recent VICTORIES Against Civil Forfeiture

We discuss two cases under the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act—a law that’s supposed to protect innocent victims of wrongful forfeitures—and why it doesn’t go far enough.

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Short Circuit: Master Thespians

Two IJ attorneys discuss how the skills you learn in theater play into being a good lawyer. It’s not just gesticulating to the jury, it’s understanding how people act, how they respond to subtle clues, and most of all how to tell a story.

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Champions for a Free and Just America

Your tax-deductible contribution helps IJ fight for Americans’ rights. IJ defends ordinary people who want to pursue their vision of the American Dream but find that the government is standing in their way. We stand with our clients no matter how long their cases take, and we win about 70% of the time.

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