IJ supporters help a make a tangible difference for thousands of real people every year. I write with a brief report on one area where this work has been particularly timely—and important.

As many Americans struggle to get back on their feet, our work to protect the right to earn a living in the occupation of one’s choice has never been more important. And thanks to IJ’s 46 victories last year—including a string of high-level victories for economic liberty—people across the country have new opportunities to recover from the blows that 2020 delivered.

Last year, IJ tore down numerous unjust economic restrictions that hindered competition and protected well-connected interests at the expense of newcomers, many of whom are on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder. Here are just some of IJ’s victories for economic liberty in 2020:

• Four IJ victories at the 4th, 5th, and 9th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals reinforced the right to earn a living by speaking to others—protection that will extend to broad swaths of workers in this Zoom age.

• Four district court victories in IJ cases in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Texas struck down unconstitutional attempts by state and local bureaucrats to keep hardworking people, like home cooks and food truck owners, out of business.

• State supreme courts in Georgia and Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled against protectionist licensing schemes that would have put our clients and hundreds like them out of work.

• Pennsylvania’s intermediate appellate court struck down an absurd and unconstitutional “good moral character” requirement that prevented people with criminal records like our clients from getting a hard-earned fresh start, prompting sweeping state legislative reform that will give many others a second chance to turn their lives around.

• In Kentucky, a district judge issued a tour de force ruling against the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) law, a type of protectionist scheme that limits access to healthcare and raises prices. This precedent that will drive IJ’s efforts to eliminate CON regimes through ongoing cases in two other states and through our 2021 Initiative.

These kinds of victories were unheard of when IJ began our quest 30 years ago to revive constitutional protections for the right to earn an honest living, and they show that judges are finally embracing their role as a xxxxxx against government abuse. With 72 cases on our docket—including 29 economic liberty suits—we’ll help entrepreneurs rebuild their lives and businesses this year.

Please consider donating to make victories like these possible and enable us to secure vital liberties in the year ahead.

With hope for the future,
Scott

Scott G. Bullock
President and General Counsel
Institute for Justice

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