Want to help preserve civil liberties but don't like the ACLU?

[Telperion]

Please consider supporting the Institute for Justice.

Institute Profile: Who We Are
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 pursue cutting-edge litigation 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 sue 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 and outreach, 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.

Most recently in Kelo v. New London, IJ represented the homeowners of New London, CT in their fight against the city and private developers who wanted the seize their homes for private development under the power of eminent domain. Where was the ACLU in Kelo? The national organization declared itself "neutral" on the case. Interestingly, there is another issue where the ACLU is "neutral": the right to keep and bear arms. No big surprise, as neither private property nor gun ownership fit well into the ACLU's collectivist vision.

You can read some of the IJ's cases and get an idea of their operating philosophy. I submit they may be a better fit for many people here.

 

[neoncowboy]

Got a link to their stance on 2nd amendment freedom?

 

[Kurush]

Sounds like a good organization, but I don't see anything about the PATRIOT act. Protecting the rights of african natural hair stylists to not be licensed as cosmeticists is probably important in some unfathomable case-law way but I think PATRIOT is a more immediate problem.

 

[Telperion]

neoncowboy- It appears they don't handle 2nd amendment cases regularly, but one of their attorneys assisted on the Cato DC gun ban lawsuit.

Kurush- fighting the PATRIOT act head-on while counterterrorism is the Federal government's top priority is an almost guaranteed loser. Especially for a small non-profit law firm. The fed.gov is is warpath mode to show it is doing something, anything, dammit, about terrorism, and the Courts are unlikely to substantially stand in the juggernaut's way. It sucks, but if the PATRIOT act is going to be truly stopped, it will probably be have to be done in Congress, which is unlikely as long as the public remains clamorous for its security at any price.

Can never everyone happy around here...

 

[lysander]

Interesting...

Depending on how my grades come back...I might see about a summer spot with these folks.