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First Amendment

Federal Court to Decide on Expedited Schedule Whether to Halt Arizona Clean Elections System

ECONOMIC LIBERTY

Two-Year Dance Ban Saga Ends in Victory For Two-Steppers in Pinal County, Ariz.

IJ NEWS

How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom

IJ News

IJ's Management & Efficiency Earns Charity Navigator's Top Rating for Seventh Straight Year

The Institute for Justice website has been selected as an Official Honoree of the 11th Annual Webby Awards 2007.

IJ Litigates nationwide on behalf of individuals whose rights are being violated by government.

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September 2, 2008
Washington Times
SIMPSON: Disclosure abuse
The law is complicated, to say the least, and like all campaign finance laws, it contains enough legal pitfalls that no sane person would dare run a campaign before hiring an attorney.   More

August 21, 2008
The Arizona Republic
Coming through for the kids
For the time being at least, common sense has triumphed over ideology. Disabled and foster children can attend the school of their choice after all....   More

August 15, 2008
Marginal Revolution
Designing Monopoly
Carpenter and Ross point out in an excellent article in Regulation from which I have drawn...   More

August 15, 2008
Atlanticville
Appeals court reverses eminent domain case
Councilman seeks to drop plans to redevelop oceanfront neighborhood   More

August 14, 2008
Rocky Mountain News
The PUC's taxi tango
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is going to take its own sweet time opening up the Denver-area market...    More

August 12, 2008
ABC News Rockville
VIDEO: Maryland Woman Sues State for Right to Massage Horses
A Montgomery County woman is fighting to do what she loves after state officials made her shut down her horse massage business...   More

August 12, 2008
Wall Street Journal
That's Not Blight. It's New Jersey.
You might not think what is happening to the Vendettis and their friends could happen in America. And it didn't used to be this way...     More

August 11, 2008
Associated Press
Woman Sues for Right to Massage Horses
Mercedes Clemens is certified to massage humans, but she claims the state of Maryland is keeping her from her first love: Massaging horses.     More

August 10, 2008
Associated Press
Two sides seek resolution in eminent domain case
An appeals court ruling may serve to bring warring sides together in a long-running dispute over eminent domain in this beachfront city...     More

August 8, 2008
Asbury Park Press
Residents find themselves cautiously optimistic
Residents of a beachfront area targeted for redevelopment hailed the decision that gives them another opportunity to keep their homes...     More

August 8, 2008
Asbury Park Press
Appeals court: City failed to prove area is blighted
Both sides likely to go back to Superior Court     More

August 8, 2008
Nashville Business Journal
Joy Ford's lawyer skeptical about Music Row eminent domain compromise
Having an active eminent domain case makes it harder to sit down and negotiate...      More

August 8, 2008
The Tennessean
Music Row landowner offered deal
Developer would buy part of parking lot, save business     More

August 7, 2008
Asbury Park Press
Eminent domain ruling called "fatal" blow to redevelopment efforts
Bullock said there is one sure way to settle this case: Take eminent domain off the table.     More

July 31, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Court bars church camp's rafting trips on Yough
Resources department, camp at odds over cost of park outfitters     More

July 31, 2008
Hartford Advocate
Running the Meter
For Hartford cabbies, high gas prices and long waits for fares are a nightmare, but rigid state rules make it even worse     More

July 29, 2008
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Commonwealth rules to limit camp's access to Yough
A Christian summer camp is not allowed to raft unless it hires one of four state-licensed commercial outfitters...     More

July 29, 2008
CBS Houston
VIDEO: New law may require computer techs to be private investigators
Fixing your computer may just get more expensive thanks to a new state law...     More

July 29, 2008
The Leaf-Chronicle
Libel lawsuit dismissal was court error
A libel lawsuit filed against members of the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition is still in the works.     More

July 27, 2008
Boston Globe
Eminent domain harms more than helps communities
Eminent domain is not an efficient tool for economic stimulus. An Institute for Justice study found that reform....     More

July 26, 2008
National Public Radio
Philly Tour Guides Sue Over License Test
Tour guides in Philadelphia say the city's efforts to ensure historical accuracy have gone a league too far...     More

July 26, 2008
Daily Courier
Court: Scholarships should remain; Legislature cuts money
The roller coaster ride continues for parents working to get the best education available for their special needs children.     More

July 21, 2008
CNN Money
Should the Geek Squad need private-investigator licenses?
A Texas law, now being challenged in court, says computer technicians could need PI licenses.     More

July 21, 2008
The Tennessean
Battle against eminent-domain abuse now centers in Nashville, Clarksville
What happens in Nashville and Clarksville will have a significant impact on the rights of all Tennesseans to protect their homes and businesses....     More

July 17, 2008
East Valley Tribune
Attorney general???s bad advice disrupted state voucher programs
Attorney General Goddard may start developing a reputation of incompetence in a fundamental aspect of his job...     More

July 16, 2008
Daily Record
Massage therapist wants more than an OK to work with horses
Litigation will proceed in light of Runde???s contradictory statements and the still-pending threat from the chiropractic board...     More

July 14, 2008
The Economist
AUDIO: Chip Mellor on economic freedom
The Supreme Court has eviscerated constitutional liberty that was intended by the founders...     More

July 14, 2008
Houston Chronicle
Magnum, P.C.
Computer technicians, not private investigators, are better at repairing computers and retrieving data.     More

July 12, 2008
Los Angeles Times
Political protest hits a brick wall
St. Louis officials say the mural is too big. Its author says they're against the message, not the medium.     More

July 10, 2008
Volokh Conspiracy
License and Exam Required to Speak for Money About History
IJ is challenging Philadelphia's new requirement that tour guides be licensed. IJ seems to be exactly right on this: Such a requirement violates the First Amendment.     More

July 9, 2008
Slashdot
Follow-up On Texas PI Law For PC Techs
Network Performance Daily has put out an in-depth series on the Texas law that requires private investigator licenses for computer repair techs...     More

July 9, 2008
Reason
Swift SLAPP
Last May property rights activists in Clarksville, Tennessee, ran an ad in a local paper urging their neighbors to oppose a redevelopment project that involves the use of eminent domain...     More

July 7, 2008
Dallas Morning News
Editorial: Private eye law does not compute
Mr. Driver has created a legal mess that the courts ??? and the next Legislature ??? must fix.     More

July 2, 2008
Philadelphia Inquirer
City Council mustn't be allowed to trample on tour guides' speech
Starting this fall, tour guides in Philadelphia will be threatened with fines of up to $300 for engaging in unauthorized talking....     More

July 2, 2008
Philadelphia Daily News
Licenses for Tour Guides? Rubbish!
I'M A LIFELONG Philadelphian who's fortunate to earn a living doing what I love: giving guided tours of our historic city....     More

July 1, 2008
Leaf Chronicle
Property rights group calls libel lawsuit 'retaliatory'
A motion to dismiss a libel lawsuit against members of the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition calls the suit "frivolous" and "retaliatory."     More

July 1, 2008
FOX TV Nashville
Joy Ford Fights for Property
The city wants to seize a piece of property to make room for a new building. Trouble is, the property owner won???t sell...     More

July 1, 2008
Arizona Republic
State court OKs school vouchers
The Arizona Supreme Court decided the state could continue to give parents money to pay their children's private-school tuition...     More

June 30, 2008
Clarksville Online
Institute For Justice calls for dismissal of developers??? frivolous lawsuit
On the steps of our historic County Courthouse, a group of grassroots advocate citizens gave voice to an exercise that the founding fathers would have cherished...     More

June 27, 2008
Weatherford Democrat
Legal battle divides horse industry
Lawsuits fought in the halls of Austin could play in to the working world of Weatherford. The issue in debate is equine dentistry, and it has pitted...     More

June 27, 2008
The Gazette
Massaging animals? Therein lies the rub
A Rockville massage therapist wants to ply her trade with animals ??? and has gone to court to do so legally.     More

June 27, 2008
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Courts must stop laws gone wild
Imagine being told that the computer repair shop you???ve relied on for years can no longer work for you because the owner doesn???t private investigator???s license...     More

June 26, 2008
KVUE-TV Austin
VIDEO: Computer technicians cry foul over private investigator law
A lawsuit filed Thursday by some computer repair technicians says they're being forced to become licensed private investigators.     More

June 26, 2008
KUT-FM Austin
RADIO: Computer Guys = Private Investigators
A recent change to Texas law could put your local computer repair shop ??? and even you ??? in jail. One group says is the unintended consequence of an amendment to a state privacy law...     More

June 24, 2008
Associated Press
Economist: Eminent domain drove biz from Baltimore
According to a new report by a Loyola College economist published by the Institute for Justice...     More

June 24, 2008
Baltimore Sun
City said to drive residents away
Baltimore's heavy-handed use of eminent domain and persistently high property taxes have forced residents and businesses to flee the city...     More

June 23, 2008
Northwest Public Radio
Northwest Interior Designers Want Greater Respect
Interior designers want to distinguish themselves from decorators. That???s why groups of designers are after legislation in Washington...     More

June 21, 2008
East Valley Tribune
Patterson: School choice foes stack deck against disabled students
Not long ago, a 6-year-old boy from Gilbert named Max was headed nowhere. Diagnosed as autistic, he suffered constant...     More

June 21, 2008
Associated Press
House in CT eminent domain dispute finds new home
A small house that was once at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on government seizure of private property has found a safe haven.     More

June 21, 2008
ABC News New Haven
Home at center of U.S. Supreme Court ruling finds new berth
The Fort Trumbull home that sparked a nationwide debate over the use of eminent domain has a new permanent address on Franklin Street.     More

June 21, 2008
New Haven Register
Study: Cabbies, company owners differ in regulatory needs
A study of the state???s taxi industry is expected to wrap up by December...drivers and company owners have divergent ideas about what the legislation should contain.     More

June 20, 2008
Reason
What Ever Happened to the Kelo House?
This Monday is the third anniversary of Kelo v. City of New London...the Institute for Justice, the libertarian public interest firm that litigated the case...     More

June 20, 2008
ABC News Hartford
VIDEO: Taxi drivers seek better deal
Taxi troubles got a full airing at the State Capitol from cab drivers who say the rules and regulations on starting a taxi business have got to change.     More

June 19, 2008
Tucson Weekly
Voucher Victims
Dina Phipps worries that her children won't continue to progress without a scholarship program that's become mixed up in a battle over vouchers...     More

June 19, 2008
CT News Junkie
Cab Industry Investigated
Cab drivers from across state rallied at the Capitol to urge lawmakers to make it easier for drivers to start their own taxi company...     More

June 18, 2008
Red Wing Republican Eagle
Constitution protects our right to be left alone
It just does not make sense to violate the privacy rights of more than 95 percent of renters and landlords in Red Wing when less than 5 percent...     More

June 18, 2008
Reason
Is the Habeas Ruling Really One of the Worst Decisions in American History?
As a measuring stick, I'd suggest using The Dirty Dozen, a new book by the Cato Institute's Robert Levy and the Institute for Justice's Chip Mellor.     More

June 13, 2008
The Horse
Maryland Veterinary Practice Act Under Fire
Mercedes Clemens is a licensed massage therapist who received a cease and desist order from the threatening her license to practice on humans if she continued to work on animals...    More

June 17, 2008
U.S. News & World Report
Hacking Through Legal Red Tape Might Require Help
The IJ Clinic, which assists low-income, inner-city small businesses with figuring out "the legal intricacies" that come with being an entrepreneur...     More

June 20, 2008
ABC News Hartford
VIDEO: Taxi drivers seek better deal
Taxi troubles got a full airing at the State Capitol from cab drivers who say the rules and regulations on starting a taxi business have got to change.    More

June 17, 2008
Washington Times
Second Amendment haze
This month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide District of Columbia v. Heller, the most important Second Amendment case in the court's history...     More

June 19, 2008
Tucson Weekly
Voucher Victims
Dina Phipps worries that her children won't continue to progress without a scholarship program that's become mixed up in a battle over vouchers...    More

June 16, 2008
National Public Radio
Cash Seizures by Police Prompt Court Fights
Authorities can confiscate your money without ever charging you with a crime, as long as they can prove it's tied to illegal activity ??? but sometimes it happens even when they can't...     More

June 19, 2008
CT News Junkie
Cab Industry Investigated
Cab drivers from across state rallied at the Capitol to urge lawmakers to make it easier for drivers to start their own taxi company...    More

Red Wing Republican Eagle
Local senator helps state overcome an inconvenient law
Sen. Steve Murphy certainly knows that just because a law is pro-business, it doesn???t mean it is pro-free enterprise...     More

June 18, 2008
Red Wing Republican Eagle
Constitution protects our right to be left alone
It just does not make sense to violate the privacy rights of more than 95 percent of renters and landlords in Red Wing when less than 5 percent...    More

June 18, 2008
Reason
Is the Habeas Ruling Really One of the Worst Decisions in American History?
As a measuring stick, I'd suggest using The Dirty Dozen, a new book by the Cato Institute's Robert Levy and the Institute for Justice's Chip Mellor.    More

June 17, 2008
U.S. News & World Report
Hacking Through Legal Red Tape Might Require Help
The IJ Clinic, which assists low-income, inner-city small businesses with figuring out "the legal intricacies" that come with being an entrepreneur...    More

June 17, 2008
Washington Times
Second Amendment haze
This month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide District of Columbia v. Heller, the most important Second Amendment case in the court's history...    More

June 16, 2008
National Public Radio
Cash Seizures by Police Prompt Court Fights
Authorities can confiscate your money without ever charging you with a crime, as long as they can prove it's tied to illegal activity ÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â but sometimes it happens even when they can't...    More

June 13, 2008

Local senator helps state overcome an inconvenient law
Sen. Steve Murphy certainly knows that just because a law is pro-business, it doesnÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢t mean it is pro-free enterprise...    More

June 11, 2008
KWMU FM
City of St. Louis is being sued for trying to erase eminent domain protest mural
St. Louis is being sued over its role in trying to erase an eminent domain protest mural visible from interstates 44 and 55 near downtown St. Louis.    More

June 20, 2008
Reason
What Ever Happened to the Kelo House?
This Monday is the third anniversary of Kelo v. City of New London...the Institute for Justice, the libertarian public interest firm that litigated the case...    More

June 21, 2008
New Haven Register
Study: Cabbies, company owners differ in regulatory needs
A study of the stateÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢s taxi industry is expected to wrap up by December...drivers and company owners have divergent ideas about what the legislation should contain.    More

June 27, 2008
The Gazette
Massaging animals? Therein lies the rub
A Rockville massage therapist wants to ply her trade with animals ÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â and has gone to court to do so legally.    More

June 27, 2008
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Courts must stop laws gone wild
Imagine being told that the computer repair shop youÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ve relied on for years can no longer work for you because the owner doesnÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢t private investigatorÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢s license...    More

June 26, 2008
KVUE-TV Austin
VIDEO: Computer technicians cry foul over private investigator law
A lawsuit filed Thursday by some computer repair technicians says they're being forced to become licensed private investigators.    More

June 24, 2008
Associated Press
Economist: Eminent domain drove biz from Baltimore
According to a new report by a Loyola College economist published by the Institute for Justice...    More

June 24, 2008
Baltimore Sun
City said to drive residents away
Baltimore's heavy-handed use of eminent domain and persistently high property taxes have forced residents and businesses to flee the city...    More

June 23, 2008
Northwest Public Radio
Northwest Interior Designers Want Greater Respect
Interior designers want to distinguish themselves from decorators. ThatÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢s why groups of designers are after legislation in Washington...    More

June 21, 2008
East Valley Tribune
Patterson: School choice foes stack deck against disabled students
Not long ago, a 6-year-old boy from Gilbert named Max was headed nowhere. Diagnosed as autistic, he suffered constant...    More

June 21, 2008
Associated Press
House in CT eminent domain dispute finds new home
A small house that was once at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on government seizure of private property has found a safe haven.    More

June 21, 2008
ABC News New Haven
Home at center of U.S. Supreme Court ruling finds new berth
The Fort Trumbull home that sparked a nationwide debate over the use of eminent domain has a new permanent address on Franklin Street.    More

June 11, 2008
Maryland Daily Record
Suit: You shouldn't need a vet's license to massage a horse
A person need not be a doctor or chiropractor to give someone a massage in Maryland, H. Mercedes Clemens states in her lawsuit by the Institute for Justice...    More

June 10, 2008
Baltimore Examiner
Bob Ewing: Shameful U.S. legacy persists
Mercedes Clemens is a successful Maryland entrepreneur filing a lawsuit to help correct a gross violation of justice that has plagued our nation for well over a century.    More

June 9, 2008

County Council sees one side of 'open and fair' election story
King County Council members are pushing a plan to fund their campaign coffers with citizens' tax dollars...    More

June 9, 2008
KTAR Arizona
Court fight brewing over school vouchers
The Arizona Supreme Court will be asked to reverse a decision that could affect where hundreds of students attend school.    More

June 9, 2008
New York Sun
Major Law Firm Urges Stop to Atlantic Yards Development
The firm that challenged eminent domain in the landmark case Kelo case is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the Atlantic Yards development project in Brooklyn.    More

June 7, 2008
Arizona Republic
Property owner claims city has vendetta
East said he was told by a lawyer that the city can condemn his land and take the property, so a legal fight may not be worthwhile financially...    More