Plus a final end to Philly's civil forfeiture machine. | View in browser
Institute for Justice updates
Immunity & Accountability
Bringing Down the Gavel on Judicial Immunity
Judges take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, not violate and ignore it. Yet in Raleigh County, West Virginia, a family court judge is arguing that she shouldn’t be held accountable for unconstitutionally forcing her way into Matt Gibson’s home and searching it. Now Matt has joined with IJ in a case that represents the latest frontier in IJ’s Project on Immunity and Accountability.
Long-running Philly Forfeiture Case Ends with Victims Compensated and Unclaimed Funds Donated to Charities
Nearly a decade after a Philadelphia family joined with IJ to launch a lawsuit to save their home from the city’s abusive forfeiture program, the case ends with the city's forfeiture machine shut down and $3 million distributed to victims and local charities.
Protecting Property Owners and Food Truck Entrepreneurs from Protectionism
Food trucks are safe, efficient, and downright fun. But time and again, IJ sees cities and restaurant owners teaming up to ban them. In Jacksonville, North Carolina, IJ is representing two food truck entrepreneurs and a store owner who wants to host them but can't because of the city's ban.
Fargo Officials Agree to Allow Auto Shop to Keep Operating, After Letter From IJ
City officials in Fargo, North Dakota, are backing off their illegal and unconstitutional order to shut down a small auto repair shop in the city after a letter IJ sent three weeks earlier urging city officials to allow John’s Repair to remain open.
This fall in Southern California, IJ is hosting our next Partners Retreat—an event that comes around only once every few years. Participants hear from IJ's attorneys, clients, and other speakers and enjoy mingling with other IJ supporters. IJ's Partners Retreat is an exclusive benefit for members of IJ’s Partners Club, Guardians Circle, and Four Pillars Society. If you’re not already a member of one of these clubs, there's still time to join at IJ.org/donate or ij.plannedgiving.org.
100 Years of Unenumerated Freedoms Conference
In 1920, a school teacher was arrested and fined for teaching German in defiance of a state law. He took his case to the U.S. Supreme court and won, resulting in one of the most sweeping defenses of individual freedom in history. Join IJ for a conference to celebrate the centenary of this monumental moment for liberty and to explore the past and future of unenumerated rights.
This event will take place on March 31st in Washington, D.C. For those outside of the D.C. area, it will also be streamed online.
To learn more about this event and register for in-person or online attendance, click here.
IJ Podcasts
Short Circuit: Live at Southern Methodist University!
Short Circuit speaks with the law students at SMU. We dig into recent cases on the Second Amendment, “premature bankruptcy,” vaping regulation, and (of course) qualified immunity.
For the first time Short Circuit welcomes the Jones-Act-hating, free-trade-loving, tariff-busting, T-shirt-writing, and top-5-ranking Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute.
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 nearly 75% of the time.
