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Institute for Justice updates

For the first Liberty & Law email of 2026, we're sharing our top victories, podcasts, and more from last year.

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Immunity & Accountability

Unanimous Supreme Court Victory For Victims Of FBI Wrong-House Raid

On June 12, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the FBI wrong-house raid case Martin v. United States, earning IJ our third high court victory since 2024. The unanimous decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, holds that an innocent family—Trina Martin, Toi Cliatt, and Trina’s now-14-year-old son, Gabe—can continue their fight to hold the FBI accountable for raiding their home.

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Fourth Amendment

New Campaign Seeks To Shut Down Mass Surveillance

In August, IJ launched the Plate Privacy Project, a nationwide campaign to stop the unrestrained use of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras in thousands of American communities. The campaign, part of IJ’s Project on the Fourth Amendment, brings IJ’s trademark combination of cutting-edge litigation, boots-on-the-ground activism, bipartisan legislative advocacy (including a new model bill), and media capabilities to oppose this new and growing form of warrantless mass surveillance.

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Civil Forfeiture

IJ Win Closes Civil Forfeiture Loophole In Nevada

Stephen Lara’s life savings were seized in February 2021. IJ made sure Stephen got his money back, and—after nearly four years of litigation—a Nevada court has ruled that the government violated state law when it took his money. It’s a landmark ruling that will have repercussions across the Silver State and beyond, reining in a pernicious legal loophole that law enforcement uses to disregard property rights.

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Independent Courts

Victory! Farmers Vindicate The Right To A Real Judge

Sun Valley Orchards is a fourth-generation family farm. Its owners, brothers Joe and Russell Marino, grow vegetables—including peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and asparagus. Or, rather, they did, before they shut down in the face of over $500,000 in penalties imposed by the U.S. Department of Labor. So it was a big deal when the 3rd Circuit held that forcing the farm to defend itself in the agency’s court violated the constitutional provision that guarantees an independent judiciary.

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First Amendment

IJ Saves Donut Mural, Shows Town’s Argument Was Full Of Holes

Here’s some tasty news from New Hampshire: Leavitt’s Country Bakery won its fight to keep its donut mural. And the town of Conway just got a First Amendment beatdown it won’t soon forget. Bakery owner Sean Young let local high school students paint a mural for their senior project. The students whipped up a colorful mountain landscape made of donuts and muffins. Customers ate it up, but the town’s zoning officer declared it illegal.

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IJ In The News

In 2025, IJ's fight for constitutional rights scored big articles in important outlets. Here is a sample of the positive press IJ received in major outlets without paywalls.

- Associated Press: Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with ‘suspicious’ travel patterns ([link removed] )

- ProPublica: We Found That More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. ([link removed] )

- USA Today: Can you sue the FBI when agents mistakenly raid wrong house? Supreme Court to weigh in ([link removed] )

- People: Homeowner Owes $100,000 for Improperly Parking on Her Own Driveway After Courts Reject Appeal ([link removed] )

Most Watched Video of 2025: Flock's Creepy Surveillance System Coming to a City Near You ([link removed] )

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Top 2025 Podcasts

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Bound By Oath: Everything You Eat, Drink, and Wear

Officials must obtain a warrant before forcibly entering a home. That rule goes back to the Founding. But a ruling in 1967 created an ahistorical exception. We interview the lawyer who (unsuccessfully) argued that case.

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Beyond The Brief: Another Game Warden Caught Spying

Dalton Boley thought he found a refuge for him and his children in 10 acres of woods by his Alabama home. That is, until government officials started showing up on the land without a warrant.

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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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See All Podcasts
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Support Our Work

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 more than 70% of the time.

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