For 35 years, the Institute for Justice has come to the aid of real people fighting outrageous government abuse.
Arlington, Virginia
Joined August 2008
- Tweets13.4K
- Following9.4K
- Followers58.2K
- Likes5.5K
The Government Fined This Family Farm—Then Judged Its Own Case
🏛️ Tuesday, the #SupremeCourt will hear this case and decide whether the federal government needs to provide a fair day in court when imposing ruinous fines on a business.
Check out the Listener's Guide and follow along with the oral arguments on Tuesday at 10am ET.
#SCOTUS #SunValley⚖️
ij.org/case/sun-valley-admin…
Four Generations of Farming. Then the Government Stepped In.
Joe Marino grew up farming. He was the fourth generation of his family to run Sun Valley Orchards in New Jersey.
But after the Department of Labor imposed more than $500,000 in penalties and back wages through its in-house court system, years of fighting took their toll. The family eventually shut down the farm.
Now, Joe is fighting to ensure that when a federal agency seeks to impose monetary penalties, Americans can defend themselves in an independent federal court.
🧵
🗓️ Save the date!
One week from today, the Supreme Court will hear IJ's case on behalf of Joe and Sun Valley Orchards, challenging the DOL's power to impose hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties through its own in-house courts instead of an independent federal court.
Listen to oral arguments in Department of Labor v. Sun Valley Orchards on Tue, Nov 10th at 10am ET.
supremecourt.gov/oral_argume…
IJ's McGrath Legislative Fellowship gives early-career advocates the chance to do real work protecting economic liberty, property rights, and the rule of law. Fellows don’t sit on the sidelines. They help change laws and change lives.
During her fellowship, our first McGrath Legislative Fellow, Kamryn Moe:
✅ Wrote with our Zoning Justice Project attorneys our Restoring Options in Occupancy Model (ROOM) Act, legislation that removes barriers to co-living and entry-level housing
✅ Helped enact military spouse recognition in Tennessee, making it easier for military families to keep working when duty calls them to a new state
✅ Helped secure a makeup exemption in Tennessee, cutting needless red tape for people who want to work in the beauty industry
✅ Helped advance IJ’s model legislation to protect people’s privacy from surveillance technology.
Interested in becoming a McGrath Legislative Fellow? Learn more and apply here: instituteforjustice.applytoj…
#RoomAct
Institute for Justice retweeted
Want to protect freedom by suing government bullies while living in a tropical paradise? You’re in luck because @IJ’s Miami office is expanding!
Want to protect freedom by suing government bullies while not living in a tropical paradise? Well, you are also in luck because @IJ’s other offices are expanding too!
#Jobs #ConLaw #Attorneys #LawStudents
ij.org/careers/
Applications are now open for IJ's McGrath Legislative Fellowship!
This is an exciting opportunity for a 2L or 3L law student to work directly with IJ's talented legislative team in policy advocacy nationwide.
Learn more here:
instituteforjustice.applytoj…
What started as a parody Facebook page became a fight for the right to criticize the government.
Anthony Novak, an amateur comedian in Ohio, created a parody Facebook page mocking his local police department. Police took it seriously. They raided his home with guns drawn, jailed him, and charged him with a felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison. With IJ representing him and support from The Onion, Anthony's fight to defend his First Amendment right to criticize the government made headlines all around the world.
See his story in Crime & Parody, making its DC premiere at the Double Exposure Film Festival! The screening will be followed by a Q&A with IJ Senior Attorney Patrick Jaicomo, who also appears in the film.
📅 Friday, Nov. 6 at 5:45 p.m.
📍 U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater
Get your tickets: dxfest.com/films/crime-parod…
Federal agents seized $450,000 from Mario's lawful business with no explanation.
Now he's taking them to court.
🧵
In February 2025, agents with the IRS and Homeland Security Investigations raided Ayala’s Mini Market in Glendale, Arizona. They seized cash, documents, computers, and personal cell phones, but never provided owner Mario Ayala with an explanation for the seizure or the promised information about next steps.
More than a year and a half later, the federal government is still holding Mario's property despite his efforts to get it back.
ij.org/case/arizona-small-bu…
At a press conference in October 2026, Mario and his attorneys from the Institute for Justice discuss his fight to recover his property and hold the federal government accountable.
His federal court filing argues that the prolonged seizure violates the Fourth Amendment and federal civil forfeiture laws, which place limits on the government's power to seize and retain private property.
Watch the full press conference here:
nitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1OGwbnjdX…
Press Conference: Feds Seized Nearly $1.4 Million. Now This Business Owner Is Suing. nitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1aKbdEjDB…
Federal agents seized nearly $1.4 million from Steven Bailey’s currency wholesale business, Global Coin Logistics. No one at the company has been charged with a crime, and neither agency has told Steven what law he or his company supposedly broke.
Now Steven has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to challenge the seizures in two federal lawsuits against the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Learn more about Steven’s fight to get his company’s money back—and why the government must explain itself when it takes your property.
Learn more: ij.org/case/global-coin-logi…
Institute for Justice retweeted
Want to pay MORE to file your taxes?
Congress may mandate #OccupationalLicensing for tax preparers, 12 yrs after courts struck down #IRS's attempt to do so via regs.
@IJ & a #freemarket coalition oppose this costly mandate, which will increase costs to #consumers for tax prep + burden nearly half a million tax preparers, likely driving upwards of 100,000 small tax prep businesses to close shop.
The #licensing provision is in the TAS Act, which has already passed the Senate, so it's up to the House of Representatives to stop this burdensome new licensing scheme. @HouseGOP
@TaxNotes covers our coalition letter to @SpeakerJohnson here:
taxnotes.com/featured-news/c…
More than 20 years ago, Melony Armstrong stood up for the freedom to earn an honest living—and won.
Today, Melony needs our help.
The building that houses her salon, braiding academy, and youth training programs is in jeopardy. Learn more about Melony's fight to preserve Naturally Speaking here: gofundme.com/f/help-melony-s…
Institute for Justice retweeted
In one week, @IJ has filed three lawsuits addressing the same constitutional problem: the feds' habit of taking cash first and explaining never. 1/
Institute for Justice retweeted
Read about @IJ's latest #forfeiture case, challenging reckless currency seizures by #DEA & #CBP.
#DueProcess requires that when the government wants to forfeit your property, it has to tell you WHY.
#CivilForfeiture
The feds seized $1.4M from a currency wholesaler. He’s suing in San Diego to stop the practice. sandiegouniontribune.com/202…
