Anthony Sanders Center for Judicial Engagement | September 22, 2020 Judicial Restraint Is a Bargain You Can’t Win Earlier this month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld Florida’s slap-dash system of forcing convicted felons to pay outstanding fines and fees before being allowed to vote. The full court voted 6 to 4 that despite many problems, Florida could continue denying voting rights to tens of thousands of former felons…

Andrew Wimer Press Release | September 22, 2020 South Side Pitch Competition Transforms to Help Businesses Confronting the Challenges of 2020 Public invited to pick their favorite applicants in the competition’s semi-final round CHICAGO—Small businesses across the South Side of Chicago are finding creative solutions to confront the economic challenges of 2020. For a seventh year running, the South Side Pitch business competition will highlight inspirational individuals determined to improve their lives and their community. However, unlike the past, this year the competition will focus on existing small…

J. Justin Wilson Press Release | September 18, 2020 After a Judge Overturned Wilmington’s Vacation Rental Regulations, City Asks Court If It Can Continue to Break the Law While It Appeals Wilmington, N.C.—Wilmington’s vacation rental owners will have to wait a little longer to celebrate their right to rent their home. Following a decisive win on Tuesday, yesterday the city announced it would appeal the decision and asked the court to suspend enforcement of the order until the appeals process is complete. The city argued that…

Andrew Wimer Press Release | September 18, 2020 Police Used an Unconstitutional Law to Arrest a Citizen-Journalist, and a Texas Court Let Them Off the Hook Now the 5th Circuit will decide whether police officers can enforce a clearly unconstitutional law and get away with it Arlington, Va.—Police officers swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution, but can they be held accountable when they blatantly violate that oath? The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will soon consider whether a citizen-journalist in Texas can seek justice after a retaliatory arrest and prosecution. The Institute for Justice (IJ), as part of its recently…

J. Justin Wilson Press Release | September 16, 2020 IJ Will Appeal Texas Border Forfeiture Case to U.S. Supreme Court Case argues that police cannot seize cars indefinitely without giving owners an opportunity to plead their case in front of a judge Today, a federal appeals court ruled that law enforcement agencies can seize and keep Americans’ cars indefinitely without giving the owners an opportunity to plead their case in front of a judge. The decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is a blow to the constitutional rights of car-owners in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana,…

J. Justin Wilson Press Release | September 16, 2020 Judge Rules Wilmington’s Vacation Rental Law Is Illegal Wilmington, N.C.—Today, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Richard K. Harrell ruled that Wilmington’s vacation rental law violates a North Carolina statewide law prohibiting municipalities from requiring rental permits. The decision is a win for Peg and David Schroeder, who filed the lawsuit challenging Wilmington’s ordinance imposing a 2% overall cap on vacation-rental properties and requiring…