Earlier this week, I shared IJ’s first-round victory to keep Texas mechanic Azael’s business open—and the wins keep coming! Yesterday, we convinced a Georgia court to strike down an unconstitutional occupational license for lactation consultants. This win <[link removed]> ensures mothers have ready access to expertise to keep themselves and their newborns healthy. Furthermore, IJ client Mary Jackson—a nationally-recognized expert who trains doctors and nurses on healthy breastfeeding—can keep helping mothers as she has done without issue for decades.

In 2016, an international association lobbied the Georgia legislature to make their license the only legal path to being a lactation consultant in the state. More than 800 experts like Mary who simply had different—but perfectly valid—certification would have been criminals if they kept operating without first repeating years of unpaid training. IJ partnered with Mary to uphold a fundamental principle: Laws must have a rational purpose, and a protectionist barrier to honest work is irrational and unconstitutional.

This victory showcases how IJ’s string of wins for the right to earn a living has reshaped an area of law traditionally dominated by special interests. The lobbying association clearly intended this new license as a model that would sweep the county. IJ, our clients, and supporters like you cut off this attempt to cartelize an entire industry—one that provides an important service to mothers and newborns. We look forward to building on this success to help people across the country work without pointless and protectionist government roadblocks.

Scott

Scott G. Bullock
President and General Counsel
Institute for Justice

P.S. The smiles from our Georgia clients below will surely be even bigger after this week’s victory.

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