Las Vegas Review Journal
Papers, Please: State Must Thin Work Licensing Requirements
May 9, 2012
Los Angeles Times
California Voted Among Least-Friendly States for Small Businesses
May 9, 2012
KUHF-AM
What Texas Does Regulate In Licensing Could Be Considered Burdensome
May 9, 2012
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Norfolk Tries to Impose Radio Silence
May 1, 2012
FoxNews.com
Oregon City Says No Deal to Groupon
March 28, 2012
Los Angeles Times
Court rejects Obama Plea to Reconsider Bone Marrow Ruling
March 28, 2012
George F. Will
Cabbie Fights for Economic Liberty
March 26, 2012
Washington Examiner
America Needs Judicial Engagement, Not Abdication
March 26, 2012
News Tribune
Justices Must Put Constitutional Principle Before Political Expediency
March 26, 2012
Chicago Tribune
Testing the Preparedness of Tax Preparers
Should You Need the Government’s Permission to Work?
License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing is the first national study to measure how burdensome occupational licensing laws are for lower-income workers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The report documents the license requirements for 102 low- and moderate-income occupations—such as barber, massage therapist and preschool teacher—across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It finds that occupational licensing is not only widespread, but also overly burdensome and frequently irrational.
On average, these licenses force aspiring workers to spend nine months in education or training, pass one exam and pay more than $200 in fees. One third of the licenses take more than a year to earn. At least one exam is required for 79 of the occupations.
Barriers like these make it harder for people to find jobs and build new businesses that create jobs, particularly minorities, those of lesser means and those with less education.
License to Work recommends reducing or removing needless licensing barriers. The report’s rankings of states and occupations by severity of licensure burdens make it easy to compare laws and identify those most in need of reform.
Freedom Flix
The Institute for Justice is always looking for new ways to promote the message of freedom. To that end, IJ produced the following videos in-house to tell the stories of our clients and their fight for individual liberty.
None of this — the cases or these videos — would be possible without the continued generosity of our donors. We hope you enjoy them and share them with those who need a little inspiration.
Subscribe to our videos via iTunes or YouTube.
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Speed's Auto Services v. Portland Protectionism in Portland, Oregon (1:19) Can the government bar entrepreneurs from offering competitive prices, online discounts and prompt service merely to protect politically powerful insiders from competition? |
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IRS Protectionism: New Licensing Scheme Challenged in Major Federal Lawsuit (3:58) Congress never gave the IRS the authority to license tax preparers, and the IRS can't give itself that power. But last year the IRS imposed a sweeping new licensing scheme that forces tax preparers to get IRS permission before they can work. |
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IJ on the Individual Mandate (2:25) If government-mandated health insurance is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) case is argued in March 2012, the Institute for Justice warns in its amicus brief that there will be dire and predicta |
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Can the Government Make Entrepreneurs Do Useless Things For No Reason? (1:56) Verlin Stoll is a 27-year-old entrepreneurial dynamo who owns Crescent Tide funeral home in Saint Paul, Minn. Verlin wants to expand his business, hire new employees and continue to offer the lowest prices in the Twin Cities, but Minnesota refuses to let |
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How are food truck entrepreneurs like the Buffalo Bills? They're unrelenting underdogs & dreamers. (3:56) Food trucks have hit the streets of Buffalo, NY. But a few brick-and-mortar restaurants are trying to put them out of business through the force of government. |
Institute Profile: Who We Are
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| Our Record of Success | |
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- 149 cases litigated in four core mission areas: economic liberty, property rights, political and commercial speech, and school choice - 5 U.S. Supreme Court cases since 2002 (four victories) - 71 percent victory rate (through litigation, legislation, and settlement) - First favorable U.S. appeals court ruling for economic liberty since the New Deal - 16,311 homes and businesses saved since U.S. Supreme Court loss in Kelo v. City of New London - 46 states and eight supreme Courts have explicitly rejected the Kelo ruling - More than 200,000 children nationwide benefiting from school choice - 20 national awards for our media relations work, publications, and production - Only law school clinic in the nation focusing exclusively on assisting low-income entrepreneurs start exclusively private-sector businesses |
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Founded in 1991, the Institute for Justice is what a civil liberties law firm should be. As our nation's only libertarian public interest law firm, we engage in cutting-edge litigation and advocacy both in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion on behalf of individuals whose most basic rights are denied by the government--like the right to earn an honest living, private property rights, and the right to free speech, especially in the areas of commercial and Internet speech. As Wired magazine said, the Institute for Justice “helps individuals subject to wacky government regulations.”
Simply put, we challenge the government when it stands in the way of people trying to earn an honest living, when it unconstitutionally takes away individuals' property, when bureaucrats instead of parents dictate the education of children, and when government stifles speech. We seek a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and responsible members of society.
We have accomplished a great deal since our founding in 1991. You may have seen our clients, cases and attorneys featured frequently in the national media, such as ABC News 20/20 or the CBS News program 60 Minutes. As Investor's Business Daily observed, "The Institute for Justice's influence is being felt across the nation."
The Institute for Justice is a 501(c)(3) organization; contributions are tax-deductible.
Institute Mission:
Through strategic litigation, training, communication, activism and research, the Institute for Justice advances a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and responsible members of society. IJ litigates to secure economic liberty, school choice, private property rights, freedom of speech and other vital individual liberties, and to restore constitutional limits on the power of government. In addition, IJ trains law students, lawyers and policy activists in the tactics of public interest litigation.
Through these activities, IJ challenges the ideology of the welfare state and illustrates and extends the benefits of freedom to those whose full enjoyment of liberty is denied by government.
More About IJ:
Litigating for Liberty: The Institute for Justice's Chip Mellor on campaign-finance reform, eminent-domain abuse, and licensing laws gone wild - an Interview with Chip Mellor by Reason Magazine's Nick Gillespie.
The Quest For Justice - the Inaugural Speech Launching the Institute for Justice
The IJ Way - While so many factors contribute to our success—the talents of the people involved, the commitment of our donors, and the pursuit of a strategic litigation plan—nothing is more central to our success than the culture of IJ, which determines the way we do business.
Wall Street Journal Weekend Interview with Chip Mellor
We change the world, and have fun doing it!
One of the qualities that makes the Institute for Justice unique is our sense of humor. Although we deal with very serious constitutional issues, we try to infuse into our work and our workplace a great joy for what it is we do. Our motto is, "We change the world, and have fun doing it." Here are some videos we hope convey that spirit.
Economic Liberty Video: Can the Government Make Entrepreneurs Do Useless Things For No Reason?
Free Speech Video: New Orleans Bureaucrats Silence Speech, Tour Guides Fight Back
Property Rights Video: The Sweeping Backlash Against the Kelo Decision
School Choice Video: Andrea Weck & School Choice
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