Imagine that you are a successful small-business entrepreneur. And then imagine that the government was forcing you to spend $30,000 to build something utterly useless just to prove that you were serious about your business. Sound crazy? That is essentially
by Bob Ewing28 Jan 2012, 1:32 PM PST0
This past weekend marked the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United. Protesters, dubbed Occupy the Courts, gathered at the Court to voice their disapproval of the decision: [youtube FJxMmqTWcNE] As Institute for Justice campaign finance
by Bob Ewing27 Jan 2012, 4:36 AM PST0
May the city of New Orleans subject local tour guides to hundreds of dollars in fines and five months in jail for engaging in unauthorized talking? This is the question the Institute for Justice (IJ) seeks to answer in a
by Bob Ewing20 Dec 2011, 5:46 AM PST0
Lisa Martinez was forced to shut down her businesses or face five years in prison. Her crime? Teeth whitening. This week, Lisa and others are fighting back in a big way: [youtube xy9k1Ujq0Tk&] In 2008, Lisa opened Connecticut White Smile
by Bob Ewing18 Nov 2011, 5:14 AM PST0
It’s just a piece of cotton thread. And yet, in order to use that simple piece of thread in Arizona for the popular practice of removing unwanted facial hair, the state’s Board of Cosmetology demanded that highly skilled entrepreneurs sit
by Bob Ewing13 Oct 2011, 6:01 AM PST0
What is the most important part of the 11th Circuit’s recent ruling on The Affordable Care Act? You might think it was the individual mandate being struck down. But it was actually this: Judicial engagement. For the first time in
by Bob Ewing16 Aug 2011, 6:18 AM PST0
Tomorrow, Florida has a golden opportunity to strike a major blow for economic liberty. The vital question is this: Will Republican senators live up to their promises to remove job-killing regulations and red tape, or will they cave in to
by Bob Ewing5 May 2011, 12:09 PM PST0
When you think about a highly aggressive cartel teaming up with politicians to pass protectionist laws that kick entrepreneurs out of work, you probably don’t think about interior designers. But you should. [youtube C_4U3VehaW4&] The American Society of Interior Designers
by Bob Ewing6 Apr 2011, 7:30 AM PST0
When you think about a highly aggressive cartel teaming up with politicians to pass protectionist laws that kick entrepreneurs out of work, you probably don’t think about interior designers. But you should. [youtube C_4U3VehaW4&] The American Society of Interior Designers
by Bob Ewing5 Apr 2011, 7:19 PM PST0
Georgia has some of the worst civil forfeiture laws and practices in the country. This morning, five Atlanta citizens teamed up with the Institute for Justice to change that. Civil forfeiture threatens the property rights of all Americans. These laws
by Bob Ewing30 Mar 2011, 12:53 PM PST0
Partisan politics shouldn’t stand in the way of protecting private property rights. Unfortunately in California, Republicans are siding with bureaucracy, Big Government and eminent domain abuse. In an effort to close the state’s budget gap, Governor Brown has proposed eliminating
by Bob Ewing28 Mar 2011, 8:13 AM PST0
You really have to see this one to believe it: [youtube QMDnCcSUfao&] The video above was just released by the Institute for Justice. It begins with an elderly woman lamenting: When my son came back from Kuwait he couldn’t believe
by Bob Ewing17 Mar 2011, 6:13 AM PST0
In Michigan, police were caught on tape stealing private property: What do you want to take in the basement? Do you want to take the drums and all that (expletive), or no? The police took three pages worth of property
by Bob Ewing9 Mar 2011, 11:11 AM PST0
There’s a bad law on the books that is costing lives every single day. Cancer patients from around the country have teamed up with a world-famous doctor, a non-profit and the Institute for Justice in a major federal lawsuit against
by Bob Ewing17 Feb 2011, 6:09 AM PST0
Dale Smith has been cutting hair for over 50 years. The Oregon barber is well-known in his hometown for walk-in appointments and $8 cuts — at least, until he got shut down by bureaucrats from Oregon’s Board of Cosmetology. Dale’s
by Bob Ewing15 Feb 2011, 5:46 AM PST0
The Institute for Justice has been vindicating the rights of entrepreneurs for the last twenty years. Across the country, IJ has teamed up with casket makers, florists, hairbraiders, horse teeth-floaters, interior designers, sign-hangers, taxi-drivers, trash haulers, vintners and numerous other
by Bob Ewing28 Jan 2011, 7:13 AM PST0
What do you get when you mix bureaucrats with a bunch of adorable puppies? In Kim Houghton’s case, you get a major First Amendment lawsuit. [youtube eFm0jWM2-zg] Kim Houghton decided after a successful, 20-year career in advertising that she wanted
by Bob Ewing21 Jan 2011, 6:18 AM PST0
On Tuesday the Institute for Justice went to federal court to find out. [youtube vJ9IbZ05JrY] Two years ago IJ teamed up with three Philadelphia tour guides to file a major First Amendment lawsuit seeking to vindicate the freedom to speak
by Bob Ewing12 Jan 2011, 6:01 PM PST0
Carl Mitz is a third-generation horseman. The Texan is widely known as one of the nation’s best horse dentists. He’s treated the teeth of over 100,000 horses and has clients in over 30 states. But Texas bureaucrats tried for years
by Bob Ewing11 Nov 2010, 5:41 AM PST0
Karen Sampson and her Colorado neighbors just won a serious victory for liberty. In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Colorado’s disclosure laws for grassroots political groups. This is a big deal.
by Bob Ewing10 Nov 2010, 6:27 AM PST0
Let’s say you have a knack for cutting hair. If you live in Florida, guess how many hours of government-mandated instruction you’d be forced to sit through before you can become a barber? 1,200. That’s right, well over a thousand
by Bob Ewing9 Nov 2010, 5:01 AM PST0
Hey mom and dads, it’s election week! Does your child like to argue? Does he like to boss his younger siblings around? Does he love the sound of his own voice? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions,
by Bob Ewing4 Nov 2010, 4:34 AM PST0
Nationwide, government at every level is requiring more and more of the workforce to get its permission just to earn a living. In the 1950s, only about 5 percent of the workforce needed a government license to do their job.
by Bob Ewing30 Oct 2010, 3:08 PM PST0
Carla Main wrote an outstanding book called Bulldozed. A veteran journalist, she brought to life a heart-wrenching, true-life tale of eminent domain abuse in a Texas fishing town. She told the truth. And for that, she’s being sued. Today, Carla
by Bob Ewing28 Sep 2010, 7:59 AM PST0
In Washington, DC, talking about the Bill of Rights can land you in jail for 90 days. Our nation’s capital has a licensing scheme in place that makes it illegal for anyone to “guide or escort” anyone else for hire
by Bob Ewing23 Sep 2010, 11:28 AM PST0