Florida Police Officer Used Mass Surveillance Network to Stalk Romantic Interest
Newly published dashcam footage shows a sheriff’s deputy driving recklessly to pull over an actress he’d met while working on the set of the TV show Bad Monkey.
Institute for Justice
Colorado Becomes Second State To Create Right to an Attorney When Police Seize Your Property
A bill tightening Colorado's civil asset forfeiture laws passed the state legislature by wide bipartisan margins and was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.
In Lawsuit Over Construction Raids, DHS Official Testifies ICE Agents Can't Trust REAL IDs
A Homeland Security official's testimony that ICE agents couldn't rely on REAL IDs as proof of citizenship led a federal judge to reply, "Help me understand how that makes sense."
Leaked Plans Show School Buses Could Become Roaming Surveillance Vehicles
The documents reveal BusPatrol’s plan to equip tens of thousands of school buses with license plate readers and share the data with law enforcement.
A Half-Million Dollar Fine for a Tax Paperwork Oversight
Too many courts ignore the Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines.
A U.S. Citizen Is Suing ICE for Arresting Him Twice. He Just Got Arrested a Third Time.
Leo Garcia Venegas and the Institute for Justice are suing to block immigration raids on private construction sites that target Latinos.
San Jose's 'Creepy' and 'Deeply Intrusive' ALPR Camera System Is Unconstitutional, a New Lawsuit Says
The city has created a network of nearly 500 cameras that routinely monitor innocent people as they go about their daily lives.
Innocent Property Owners Deserve 'Just Compensation' When Cops Wreck Their Homes or Businesses
Two petitions ask the Supreme Court to uphold the remedy required by the Fifth Amendment.
Louisiana Requires 500 Hours of Training To Braid Hair Professionally. This Bill Would Increase It.
Many states have deregulated hair braiding, but Louisiana lawmakers want to tighten regulations by demanding more coursework, including on the ancient origins of braiding.
Iowa Officials Arrested This Guy for Criticizing Them—Twice. A Federal Judge Says They Are Liable.
A mayor and a police chief "mistook their authority to maintain order for a license to suppress criticism," says U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose.
A Tiny Alabama Town Ran an Outrageous Speed Trap. Now It Will Pay $1.5 Million To Settle a Lawsuit.
Brookside, Alabama, made national news in 2022 after investigations revealed it was bankrolling itself through predatory traffic enforcement.
Leaked ICE Memo Claims Agents Can Enter Homes Without Judicial Warrants
Under this understanding of the Fourth Amendment, an attorney at the Institute for Justice says, “there is little left of the rights of Americans to be secure in their houses.”
DHS Invokes Immigration Enforcement To Justify Gathering Americans' DNA
A proposed rule change would allow routine gathering of biometric data without a warrant.
If You Give a Bear a Badge, Will It Respect Your Rights?
Despite their general ignorance of constitutional law, bears pose a much less grave threat to your civil liberties than humans do.
DHS Continues Airport Cash Seizures, a Year After the Justice Department Ended Them Due to Constitutional Concerns
A year ago the Justice Department suspended the DEA's airport interdiction program because of significant legal risks. The DHS is still using the same tactics.
Mass Surveillance Is Powering a New Era of Pretextual Traffic Stops
An extensive network of automatic license plate readers is being used to develop predictive intelligence to stop vehicles, violating Americans’ rights.
They Face $1 Million in Fines—for Someone Else's Code Violations
Humboldt County, California's sketchy code enforcement scheme piles ruinous fines on innocent people and sets them up to lose.
Texas City Council Approves $500,000 Payment to Former Member Who Said Her Advocacy Led to a Bogus Arrest
The settlement, which followed Sylvia Gonzalez's victory at the Supreme Court, also includes remedial First Amendment training for city officials.
Treasury Department Surveillance at the Southern Border Faces Fourth Amendment Challenges
A new FinCEN rule forced small money services businesses to collect personal data on nearly every customer transaction. Lawsuits claim this violates the Fourth Amendment.
Missouri Judge Backs City's Eminent Domain Redevelopment Plan
By calling the Manchester Road Corridor “blighted,” the city can now use eminent domain to clear the way for a $436 million project.
ICE Arrested a U.S. Citizen—Twice—During Alabama Construction Site Raids. Now He's Suing.
“I got arrested twice for being a Latino working in construction,” says Leo Garcia Venegas, the lead plaintiff in a new lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice challenging warrantless ICE raids on construction sites.
Florida Deputies Jailed Her for 3 Days Even Though She Was Obviously Not the Suspect Described in a Warrant
A federal judge cleared the way for Jennifer Heath Box's lawsuit against the cops who misidentified her as a fugitive, despite a "mountain of evidence" that they had the wrong woman.
The New Texas Ban on Cell-Cultured Protein Is an Unconstitutional Interstate Trade Barrier, a Lawsuit Says
The ban's supporters, whose motivation is plainly protectionist, claim they are defending freedom by restricting it.
An Alaska Man's $95,000 Plane Was Seized Over a 6-Pack of Beer. Now He's Taking His Case to the Supreme Court.
Alaska has been trying to seize Ken Jouppi's Cessna for 13 years over a misdemeanor crime.
Compensation for Legal Fees Is a Critical Protection Against Civil Forfeiture Abuses
A recent federal appeals court decision underlines the importance of that safeguard.
Warrantless Use of License Plate Reader Cameras Is Unconstitutional
A new campaign pushes back against the widespread use of automatic license plate readers without warrants.
Automated License Plate Readers Are Watching You
The technology enables routine surveillance that would have troubled the Fourth Amendment’s framers.
You Shouldn't Need a License to Talk
Occupational licensing can be useless, harmful—and even a threat to free speech.
An Arkansas Town Agrees To Remove a License Plate Camera Aimed at a Couple's Home
Local officials initially were unfazed by complaints that the constant surveillance raised serious privacy concerns.
The Government Seized Her Home for a Project That Never Happened
Twenty years after Susette Kelo lost at the Supreme Court, the land where her house once stood is still an empty lot.
Federal Courts Shrug at Potentially Lethal Wrong-Door Raids
Cops should not be free to forgo the modicum of care required to make sure they’re in the right place.
South Carolina County Ends Its Civil Forfeiture Blitz After 20 Years
It’s time for the rest of the state to stop illegal searches and seizures that enrich police departments.
'Don't You Want To Confirm Who I Am?' a Mistakenly Arrested Grandmother Asked the Marshals. They Did Not.
Penny McCarthy is suing the federal agents who insisted she was a fugitive despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Denver Case Highlights the Potentially Deadly Hazards of Police Raids Based on Secondhand Information
Michael Mendenhall wants the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that allows home invasions based on nothing but hearsay.
Florida Woman Fined $165,000 for Trivial Code Violations Takes Her Case to the Florida Supreme Court
Sandy Martinez was fined for a parking violation on her own property, driveway cracks, and a storm-damaged fence.
Federal Court Scraps Rule That Gagged Tennessee Civil Rights Attorney From Criticizing a Private Prison
For nearly three years, Daniel Horwitz faced contempt of court for talking about a private prison that was one of his most frequent courtroom opponents.
A Federal Judge Greenlights a Lawsuit That Claims Florida's Ban on Lab-Grown Meat Is Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker says Upside Foods has plausibly alleged that the law's protectionism violates the "dormant" Commerce Clause.
The Man Who Fought Chicago for His Cadillac—and Never Got It Back
Spencer Byrd's case helped spark reforms and a federal lawsuit, but he died before seeing justice.
Zoning Police Come for Cape Cod Lobsterman
Jon Tolley and his family have been serving fresh lobster from their home for over 50 years, but an anonymous complaint to town regulators threatens to shut their business down for good.
The Government Threatened To Seize His Home Over Tall Grass
Bureaucrats in Dunedin, Florida, originally hit Jim Ficken with a fine close to $30,000. When he couldn't pay that, things turned dire.
Mississippi Says Medical Marijuana Is Legal—Just Don't Talk About It
The state legalized medical marijuana but banned dispensary owners from advertising. Now, one owner is taking the fight to the Supreme Court.
How To Recover From Debanking
Thousands of people have lost their bank accounts over "suspicious" activity. Here's what to do if it happens to you.
DEA Ends Airport Gate Searches After Years of Documented Abuses of Civil Asset Forfeiture
The Justice Department temporarily suspended the program in November because of "significant risks" of constitutional violations.
Nevada Judge to Nevada Cops: You Can't Use This Loophole To Get Around Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
The Nevada Highway Patrol exceeded its legal authority when it seized nearly $90,000 in cash from Stephen Lara in 2023 and then handed the case to the DEA.
Supreme Court Can Protect Property Owners From Eminent Domain Abuse
A Utica, New York, land grab offers the justices an opportunity to revisit a widely criticized precedent.
The Government Took a Developer's Land and Gave It to a Competitor. In New York, That's Business As Usual.
The case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to revisit a widely reviled decision that invited such eminent domain abuses.
Indiana Cops Seized Their Cash From a FedEx Hub. Prosecutors Just Agreed To Return It.
A class action lawsuit claims Indianapolis law enforcement is using civil asset forfeiture to seize millions in cash from packages routed through a major FedEx hub, without notifying the owners of what crime they're suspected of committing.
Justice Department Orders DEA to Halt Airport Searches Because of 'Significant Issues' With Cash Seizures
The DEA paid one airline employee tens of thousands of dollars to snoop on travel itineraries and flag passengers for searches.
