Liberty & Law: IJ's Bimonthly Newsletter (August 2010)

8/7/2019 Liberty & Law: IJ's Bimonthly Newsletter (August 2010)

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Volume 19 Issue 4

IJ Fights

For Free Trade

On the Farm

2

The KeloBacklash:

Five Years Later

3

Js Campaign Finance Work

Pays Dividends

4

Celebrating the Power

Of One Entrepreneur

6

August 2010

Published Bimonthly by theInstitute for Justice

visit us online:

www.ij.org

Inside This Issue

By Chip Mellor

WhentheU.S.SupremeCourtconsidersGarriott

v.Winnnextterm,itwillmarkIJsfourthappearance

beforetheCourtinonlyeightyears.TheCourtwill

decidetheconstitutionalityofArizonasindividualtax

creditprogramthroughwhichmorethan27,000chil-

drenattendprivateschools.Havingfourcasesbefore

theSupremeCourtinsuchashorttimeisfurther

endorsementofIJsstrategicapproachtopublicinter-

estlaw.Thefactthatwehavereachedthispinnacle

inthreeofourfourmissionareas(schoolchoice,prop-

ertyrightsandeconomicliberty)makestheaccom-

plishmentallthemorenotable.

ThiscasealsounderscorestheimportanceofIJ

havingtheabilitytostandtoe-to-toewithouradversar-

iesandneverblink.TheArizonaschoolchoicefight

beganmorethan10yearsagowhentheteachers

unionfiledsuitinstatecourt.Eventuallytheylost

whentheArizonaSupremeCourtupheldtheprogram

TheACLUthenfiledanewchallengeinfederalcourt

thatwentallthewaythroughtheNinthU.S.Circuit

CourtofAppealsbeforerecentlybeingacceptedby

theU.S.SupremeCourt.TheInstituteforJusticehas

beeninvolvedeverystepofthewayrepresentingthe

interestsofparents,childrenandthescholarshiporga

nizationsthatmakeuseofthetaxcredits.

Afterathree-judgepaneloftheNinthCircuit

ruledagainstus,weaskedthefullcourttorecon-

sideritsdecision.Itrefusedinasharplydivided

opinionthatpromptedastingingdissentbyeight

judges.Themajorityheldthattheprogramviolated

Winnto U.S.S.C. continued on page 9

IJ Returns toU.S. Supreme CourtIn Landmark School Choice Case


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By Anthony Sanders

Asmostschoolchildrenare

taught,oneoftheprimaryreasons

fortheConstitutionistoprotectfreetradeamongthestates.Tradewars

betweenthe13originalstatesthreat-

enedournationundertheArticles

ofConfederation.Topreventthese

destructivepractices,theFramers

gaveCongresstheauthoritytoregulate

interstatecommerce,takingawayfrom

statesandlocalgovernmentthepower

toerectinterstatebarrierstotrade.

Americaisanationalfree-tradezone.

Butafter220-plusyears,some

politiciansstilldontgetit.

Inacaseoflocalismrunamok,

thecityofLakeElmo,Minn.,makesita

crimeforafarmtosellagriculturalprod-uctsiftheproductsweregrownoutside

citylimits.Businessesoncommercially

zonedpropertiescansellout-of-town

products,butfarmscanonlysellitems

growninthecity.Thatistrueevenif

thefarmsownersgrowtheitemson

landtheyownnearbybutoutside

LakeElmoscitylimits.Thenew

lawiswreakinghavoconthetowns

farmeconomy.

Tochallengethisunconstitu-

tionalrestrictiononfreetrade,the

InstituteforJusticefiledsuitinfed-

eralcourtinMay2010onbehalfof

theBergmannfamilyofLakeElmo,

whichownsafarmthere,andfarm-

ersinNebraska,NorthCarolinaand

Wisconsinwhoselltheirproductsto

theBergmanns.

TheBergmannshavesoldproducts

growninotherstatesfordecades.This

includespumpkinsgrownontheirown

landinnearbyWisconsinandChristmas

treespurchasedfromgrowersallover

thecountry.Everyfallthousandsof

visitorscometotheirfarmtoenjoy

hayrides,apettingzooandahaunted

houseandtopurchasetheirHalloween

pumpkins.Acouplemonthslater,

manyreturnforChristmastrees.This

singlefarmillustratesthebenefitsof

freetradeamongthestates.Thefarm

enrichesnotonlythelocalcommunity

butalsofarmershalfwayacrossthecountryaswell.Likemanyfarmsthat

practiceagri-tourismthecombina-

tionoffarming,on-siteretailsalesand

entertainmentthefarmwouldgoout

ofbusinessifitcouldsellonlyproducts

grownwithinLakeElmocitylimits.

Butnowthecitygovernmentseeks

tobartheBergmannsfromsellingany-

thingfromoutsideLakeElmo.Intypical

bureaucraticlogic,thecityclaimsallow-

ingthesaleofout-of-townpumpkinsand

ChristmastreeswouldruinLakeElmosruralcharacter.Butthismakesno

sensetheoriginofapumpkincannot

ruinruralcharacter.Infact,thepolicy

mayforcefarmsoutofbusiness,dam-

agingruralcharacterfarmorethanany

foreignpumpkincould.

Bergmannv.CityofLakeElmo

buildsuponpreviousIJfreetradecases.

ThisincludesSwedenburgv.Kelly,

whichIJwonintheU.S.SupremeCourt

in2005,vindicatingourclientsrightto

sellwineacrossstatelines.Thefight

inLakeElmoisparticularlyinteresting

becauseitcombinestwoofourpillars:

economiclibertyandpropertyrights.

Ourlegalchallengewillfreefarmersin

Minnesotaandacrossthenationtosell

waresfromtheirownlandfreefrom

localtradebarriers.u

Anthony Sanders is an

IJ Minnesota Chapter staff

attorney.

Lake Elmo prohibits farmers like IJ client Dick Bergmann from importing goods from out of state.

Fight for Freedom Focuses on Farms

www.ij.org/mnfarmsvideo

Watch the case video, Freeing Small Farms: Minnesota

Farms Fight Protectionism.


3/12


4/1244

InJanuary,theU.S.SupremeCourt

handeddownCitizensUnitedv.FEC,oneof

themostsignificantcampaignfinancedeci-

sionsindecades.Bytheendof2010,we

maywellseeotherSupremeCourtvictories

protectingordinaryAmericansrighttotalkaboutpoliticsarightthatjustafewyearsago

seemedatriskofbeingwashedawayinasea

ofregulation.AndIJisatthecenterofallof

it.Butitisnotluckthathasgottenustothis

point.Wearereapingthegainsofaninvest-

mentmadeyearsago.

Ourfirstcampaignfinancecaseswere

achallengetoArizonasmisnamedClean

ElectionsActandaWashingtonstatecasein

whichwerepresentedaballotissuecampaign

thatfailedtoreportascontributionstheon-

aircommentaryoftwotalkshowhostswho

supportedthecampaignscause.In2005,we

madeaconsciouschoicetofocussignificant

institutionaleffortsinthisareaofthelawand

ourcampaignfinancepracticewasborn.

Thatsameyear,wetookovertherep-

resentationoftheIndependenceInstitute,a

Colorado-basedfreemarketthinktank,ina

challengetothatstatesonerousballot-issue

campaignfinancinglaws.Thenextyear,we

followedwithanotherColoradocaserepre-

sentingagroupofneighborswhoweresued

bytheirpoliticalopponentsundercampaign

financelawsforhavingthetemeritytospeak

aboutaballotissuewithoutfirstregistering

withthegovernment.In2007IJ,alongwith

co-counselattheCenterforCompetitive

Politics(CCP),beganrepresenting

SpeechNow.orgbeforetheFederalElectionCommission.SpeechNow.orgagroupof

individualswhowantstopooltheirresources

andrunadsagainstpoliticalcandidateswho

arehostiletotheFirstAmendmentwas

restrictedfrompursuingthatcampaign

becauseofdraconiancampaignfinance

restrictions.Ultimately,IJandCCPteamed

uptofilesuitonbehalfofSpeechNow.orgin

2008challengingthesefederallaws.Later

thatsameyear,wechallengedlawsinFlorida

thatpreventedsmallgroupsfromeffectively

speakingoutduringelections.

Inadditiontowinningseveralofthese

cases,wedevelopedinstitutionalexpertise

intheareaofFirstAmendmentlitigation

andcontributedstrategicresearchthathas

beencitedincasesallthewayuptotheU.S.

SupremeCourt.Allthewhile,IJgenerated

afloodofmediaattentionaboutourefforts

totransformthetermsofthenationaldebate

infavoroffreedom.In2009,wethrustour-

selvesintothecenterofthedebateaboutthe

CitizensUnitedcaseandweretheretodefend

thedecisionin2010.

ThispastMarch,

IJwonanimportant

victoryintheD.C.

Circuitinourchallenge

tocontributionlimitsintheSpeechNow.org

case.(Welostonourchallengetotheoner-ousadministrativeandreportingrequirements

thatapplytothegroup,butwehaveappealed

thatportionofthecasetotheU.S.Supreme

Court.)Recently,theSupremeCourthalted

distributionofmatchingfundstotaxpayer-

supportedcandidatesinourArizonaClean

Electionschallenge,whichmakesusvery

optimisticthattheCourtwillacceptthecase

forreviewwhenweappeallaterthissummer.

And,asdescribedonpage5ofthisnewsletter,

werecentlylaunchedanoutlettoshowcase

ourFirstAmendmentexpertisewithIJsnew

FirstAmendmentblog:CongressShallMake

NoLaw,whichislocatedatMakeNoLaw.org.

Thebattleforfreespeechisbynomeans

over.Butweremainatthecenterofthefight

overcampaignfinancerestrictionsandthe

futureoftheFirstAmendment.Thisinvest-

mentwillcontinuetopaydivi-

dendswellintothefutureforall

thosewhocherishfreespeech.u

Steve Simpson is an

IJ senior attorney.

Campaign Finance:

IJs Long-TermInvestment Pays OffBy Steve Simpson

T

hisyearisturningouttobeone

ofthebestyetfortheFirst

Amendmentandtheprotectionof

freespeech.And,asyoumayhave

cometoexpect,IJisinthethickofit.

2004: IJchallengesArizona

CleanElectionsActandrepresents

IndependenceInstituteinachallenge

toColoradoscampaignfinancelaws.

2006: IJfilessuitinfederal

courtonbehalfofParkerNorth

neighborsagainsttheColorado

SecretaryofState.

2007: IJteamsupwithCenter

forCompetitivePolitics(CCP)to

representSpeechNow.orgbefore

FederalElectionCommission.


5/12

August 2

By Bert Gall

OnJune24,IJlauncheditsfirstmajorforayintotheblogosphere

withourCongressShallMakeNoLawblog,whichwillexamineFirst

Amendmentissues.LocatedatMakeNoLaw.org,theblogservesas

acomplementtotheInstituteforJusticesadvocacytodefendfree-

domofspeechagainstgovernmentencroachmentsandparticularly

againstlimitsonpoliticalspeechintheguiseofcampaignfinance

restrictions.

IJsFirstAmendmentteamsawtheneedtocreatetheblogin

theaftermathoftheU.S.SupremeCourtslandmarkCitizensUnited

decision,inwhichtheCourtstruckdownalawthatseverelyrestricted

theabilityofcorporationsandunionstospendmoneyonspeechcriti-

cizingcandidatesduringanelection.

ThedecisionwasaringingendorsementofFirstAmendment

principlesandtheirimportantplaceinoursocietyyetitwasswiftly

andharshlydenouncedbymanypoliticians,mediaoutletsandpundits.

PresidentObamaaccusedtheCourtofreversingacenturyoflaw

andopen[ing]thefloodgatesforspecialinterests...tospendwithout

limitinourelections. TheNewYorkTimesitselfacorporationcom-

plainedthatthedecisionimproperlyextendedFirstAmendmentrights

tocorporations.MSNBCcommentatorKeithOlbermannhyperbolically

calledCitizensUnitedtheworstdecisionsinceDredScott.

ThenegativereactiontoCitizensUnitedamongtheseandother

prominentopinionleadersrevealsthattheyviewfreespeechasa

privilegetobetoleratedatthepleasureofpoliticians,notanabsolute

rightthatmustberespected.Thisdomineeringbig-governmentview

whichisattheheartofcampaignfinancerestrictionsdemandsa

swift,well-reasonedandentertainingresponse(particularlyinthebur-

geoningblogosphere)fromthosewhobelievethatwhentheFramers

said,Congressshallmakenolaw...abridgingthefreedomof

speech,theymeantjustthat.

AndthatswhereIJsnewblogcomesintoplay.WithCongress

ShallMakeNoLaw,IJnowhasasocialmediaplatformfromwhich

itwilltaketheleadinprovidingtheFirstAmendmenttheprincipled

defenseitdeservesonethatbeginswiththerecognitionthatfree

speechisaright.Thisrightdoesntgoawayifthegovernment

doesntliketheindividualsorgroups,includingcorporations,whoare

doingthetalking.

Throughprovocativeandinformativecommentaryoncurrent

events,CongressShallMakeNoLawwilldemonstratethattherightto

freespeechmustalwaysprevailovercampaignfinancelawsandother

restrictionsonfreespeechagainstwhichIJlitigates.

PleasevisitMakeNoLaw.organdshareit

withothersyouthinkneedtohearthismessageof

freedom.u

Bert Gall is an IJ senior attorney.

August 2

2010:IJLaunchesFreeSpeechBlog:MakeNoLaw.org

2009: IJsuccessfullychallengeda

Floridalawthatmadeitillegalforany

grouptomentionacandidateorballot

issuewithoutregisteringwiththestate.

2010: IJtakescenterstagedefendingtheCiti-

zensUniteddecisioninthemediaandinnumer-

ousdebates.IJschallengetoArizonasClean

ElectionsActappealedtoU.S.SupremeCourt.

2008: IJandCCPfilesuit

onbehalfofSpeechNow.org

toprotectthefreespeech

rightsofgroupsofindividuals.


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By John E. Kramer

Theyaretheindustriousindividuals

whoensureyourfavoritebagelandcream

cheesearereadyforyoufirstthinginthe

morning,whomakeyourcomputersrun

likeatop,whotransportyoutoandfrom

theoffice,orwhoensurethattheremains

oflovedoneswhohavepassedawayare

buriedwithdignityandrespect.Theyare

Americanentrepreneurs,anddespiteall

theydoforuseachdayandalltheywant

todotomakeourlivesbetterthroughfree

enterprisetoooftentheyfindgovernment-

imposedroadblocksstandingintheirway.

Tochampionthecauseoftheentre-

preneur,theInstituteforJusticereleased

inJulyaseriesofstudiescalled The

PowerofOneEntrepreneur.Expanding

ourworktohumanizetheissueofeco-

nomiclibertytherighttopursuean

honestlivingintheoccupationofyour

choicefreefromneedlessgovernment

regulationtheInstituteforJusticehired

seasonedjournalistsandpolicywriters

todocumenttheinspirationallivesand

impactoffiveentrepreneurs(allformer

orcurrentIJclients)toshowhowthey

improveindividuallivesandentirecom-

munitiesthroughhonestenterprise.All

thewhile,eachoftheseslice-of-life

narrativesshowsthereaderthemany

bureaucraticbarrierseachofthese

entrepreneurshasfaced,barrierswith

thepotentialtodestroyanentrepreneurs

AmericanDream.Onewayoranother

eitherthroughIJ-initiatedlitigationorby

movingtoafreerstateeachofthefea-

turedentrepreneursovercametheseneed-

lessobstacles,butnotwithoutserious

financialexpenseandopportunitycosts

intheformofdelaysanddistractionsthat

preventedthemfromputtingevenmore

peopletoworkandimprovingtheservices

weuseeachday.

Thesereportsareanimportantpart

oftheInstituteforJusticesthree-year-long

matching-grantcampaigntoexpandour

advocacyonbehalfofentrepreneurs.For

moreinformationonhowyoucanearnIJa

generousmatchinggrantforyourdonation,

visit:www.ij.org/Power.

ThosefeaturedintheseriesofPower

ofOneEntrepreneurreportsare:

Funeralhomeandcemeteryowner

Kim Powers BridgesfromKnoxville,

Tenn.,whobattledbureaucratsinherhome

stateofOklahomawhereshewantedtosel

casketsonline.Unsuccessfulinthatfight,

shegrewabrick-and-mortarbusinessin

Tennesseeandnowhasholdingsinnine

statesfromtheGulfCoasttoNewMexico

andColorado.Readaboutthedramatic

lengthsthisentrepreneurwenttoinorder

torecoverandrestoretheremainsofthose

entrustedtoherafterHurricaneKatrinahit

hernewlypurchasedMississippicemetery.

TheKim Powers Bridges

Thane Hayhurst

Hector Ricketts


7/12

August 2August 2

Series of IJ Publications Documen

High-techentrepreneurThane

HayhurstfromDallasnotonlyhelps

businessesacrossthestatekeeptheir

computersrunningatpeakefficiency,he

alsoplacesskilledhigh-techworkersfrom

acrossthenationinhard-to-filljobsin

Texasandhevolunteersforlocalcommu-

nitycenters.Despiteallthisgoodwork,

thestateofTexasisthreateningtoput

himoutofbusinessunderanewlawthat

effectivelyrequiresanyonewhoconducts

computerrepairtobecomealicensedpri-

vateinvestigator.Soundridiculous?Well,

thatsbecauseitis.

Seattle-areabagelbusinessman

Dennis Ballendonatesnearlyasmany

bagelsashesells,supportingnonprofit

organizationsacrosshisregion.But

Ballensthrivingenterprisewasalmost

drivenoutofbusinessbyalocallawthat

barredhimfromadvertisinghisbusiness.

ReadabouthowhejoinedwithIJtofight

forhisFirstAmendmentrightand,inthe

process,securedaprecedentthathas

sincefreedotherbusinessestoadvertise.

Andnowheistheundisputedbagelking

oftheNorthwestwith50employees,

includingmanyindividualswhowouldoth-

erwisefinditnearlyimpossibletosecure

agoodjob.

NewYorkCitycommutervanowner

Hector Ricketts,too,demonstrates

thepowerofoneentrepreneur.Ricketts

dollarvanshavebattledthepolitically

powerfulandheavilysubsidizedpublic

busesforyears.Despiteoverwhelming

oddsagainsthim,Hectorcontinuesto

growhisownbusinessthatputspeople

toworkashisvanstakepeopletowork,

andheoffersinvaluableguidance,inspi-

rationandmentoringtootherfledgling

smallbusinessownersacrosstheBig

Apple.

AmodelPowerofOneEntrepreneur

releasedlastyearfeaturedAfrican

hairbraiderMelony Armstrong from

Tupelo,Miss.MelonyjoinedwithIJto

successfullychallengeananti-competitive

licensinglawinherstateandhassince

goneontohelpcreateatleast300jobs

acrossthestatethroughheradvocacy

andeducation,whilealsoimprovingthe

livesofthosearoundherbyproviding

OWER of ONEEntrepreneur

Dennis Ballen

They are American entrepreneurs, and despite all they do for

us each dayand all they want to do to make our lives better

through free enterprisetoo often they find government-impose

roadblocks standing in their way.

Melony Armstrong

Entrepreneurs continued on page 8


8/1288

economicopportunityanddemonstratinghowanentrepreneurcan

succeedinthefaceoftremendousodds.

Eachofthesereportstellsthestoryofoneentrepreneur,astorythatcouldbetoldandretoldthroughthedailylivesofcountlessother

entrepreneursinsmalltownsandbigcitiesnationwide.

IJDirectorofStrategicResearchDickCarpenter,Ph.D.,whoauthored

theMelonyArmstrongreport,said,Iftheimpactofthisoneentrepre-

neurinarelativelysmallMississippicommunitycanbeaswideand

deepasdocumentedinthisreport,imaginethetransformationentire

communitiesofunhamperedentrepreneurscouldcreateinAmericas

largestcitieswherehopeandopportunityareinsuchgreatdemand.

InstituteforJusticePresidentandGeneralCounselChipMellor

said,Thepowerofoneentrepreneuristhekeytohelpingournation

recoverfromthiseconomicslump.Itisakeytorestoringourinner

citiesandcountlesslivesthroughhonestenterprise.IJwilluseeach

ofthesereportstobettermotivatelawmakers,rallythepublicandedu-

catethemediaaboutthenegativeconsequencesofmoreandmore

redtapeimposeduponsmall-businessowners.

Howcanwecreatelong-term,dynamicgrowth?Thatpowerlies

whereitalwayshasinAmerica:inthepowerofoneentrepreneur.u

John E. Kramer is the Institutes vice president

for communications.

IJ has won many awards over the years forour sophisticated and strategic communications

and public relations, earningplaudits from organizations

ranging from the PublicRelations Society of Americato the American Society ofBusiness Communicators

as well as the OutdoorAdvertising Association of

America. Our video exposing theabsurdity of Dallas ban on commer-

cial window signs recently won theInternational Academy of the VisualArts (IAVA) CommunicatorAward. IJs lighthearted videoproduced entirely in-house, like

all of our videoscomes to theaid of small businesses whose freespeech rights are being violated

by the city. This year, IAVA received more than7,000 entries, making this quite an honor.

To learn more about this case and watchour award-winning video, visit: www.ij.org/DallasSignBan.u

IJ Wins Award For

Dallas Sign-Ban Video

Watch the award-winning case video, City of Dallas Bans

Signs for Small Business.

www.ij.org/DallasSignBan

Entrepreneurs continued from page 7

Download copies of each report at www.ij.org/Power.


9/12

August 2

theEstablishmentClause,eventhoughtheprogramiscompletelyneutralwith

regardtoreligionandthetaxcreditsaredirectedtoscholarshiporganizationsonly

throughtheprivate,independentchoiceoftaxpayers.Thosewerethekeyhall-

marksoftheprogramatissueinZelmanv.Simmons-Harris,IJsSupremeCourt

casethatupheldvouchersinCleveland.

TheNinthCircuit,however,seizeduponthefactthatmoretaxpayerschosetogivetoreligiousorganizationsandmostparentschosetousescholarshipsatreligious

schoolstodeclaretheprogramunconstitutional.Itdidthiseventhoughparentsand

donorshaveafreechoiceamongscholarshiporganizationsthatprovidescholarships

toreligiousschools,othersthatprovidenonreligiousscholarships,andstillothers

thatprovideboth.Inadoptingthisrationale,theNinthCircuitsimplyignoredthe

admonitioninZelmanthatadynamicprogramisnottobeevaluatedonastatistic

thatwillchangeeveryyear;solongasthegovernmentdoesnottiltthefundingofthe

programfororagainstreligiousschools,itispresumptivelyconstitutional.

TimKeller,executivedirectoroftheIJArizonaChapterandIJsleadattorney

onthecase,explainedwhyweareconfidenttheprogramwillbeupheld:This

caseismostnotableforwhatitdoesnotinvolve:stateactionadvancingreligion.

Arizonastructureditstaxcreditprogramtobecompletelyneutralwithregardto

religion.Neithertaxpayersnorparentshaveanyfinancialincentivetodonatetoa

religiouslyaffiliatedscholarshiporganizationoveranonreligiousscholarshiporgani-

zationortoselectreligiousovernonreligiousschools.

Thiscasecomesatapropitioustimeforthenationalschoolchoicemove-

ment.Thefallelectionscouldwellbringchangestoanumberofstatelegislatures

thatwillthenbepoisedtoconsidernewchoicelegislationnextyear.Inthemean-

time,wewillworktirelesslytoprevailincourtandtousethecase

tothrustschoolchoiceintothenationallimelighttoanextentnot

seensince2002,whenIJsuccessfullydefendedtheCleveland

voucherprogram.u

Chip Mellor is IJs President and General Counsel.

Double or Triple

Your Donation with

Matching Gift Opportunitie

Now your contributions in the fight for

freedom can go even further!With IJs matching-gift program, you

can double or even triple your contribution.Thousands of companies offer employees andretireesand sometimes even their spousestheoption of increasing their personal, tax-deduct-ible donations through matching-gift programs.Many companies match dollar-for-dollar andsome even do a two-for-one match. And, evenif you have already sent in your contribution, itmay not be too late to make that gift even moregenerous: A large number of companies will

match your gift well after the day we receive it.Visit www.ij.org/MatchingGifts to find a

list of companies with matching-gift programs.IJs search feature allows you to type in the nameof your company. You may be able to accessyour companys matching-gift form directly fromthe IJ website search. Otherwise, matching-gift forms are typically available from humanresources departments. Generally, all you needto do is fill out a form and send it to us, andthen well do the rest.

Its that simple!If you have questions or need additional

information, feel free to contact Nicole Barcic at(703) 682-9320 x230.

And thank you for your generosity!u

This case is most notable for what it does notinvolve: state action advancing religion. Arizona

structured its tax credit program to be

completely neutral with regard to religion.

Parents Glenn and Rhonda Dennard with their children, (from left), Glenn II, Joshua,

March, Sarah, and Micah. Glenn II, Joshua, March and Sarah attend Grace

Community Christian School and Micah recently graduated from Xavier High School.

Winnto U.S.S.C. continued from page 1

August 2


10/120

10

By Clark Neily

IJseffortstocorralanout-of-control

Texasbureaucracyhaveheatedupagain,aswecontinueourlong-runningbattletostopthe

LoneStarStatesveterinarycartelfromout-

lawinghorseteethfloating.Beforeapacked

AustincourtroomonWednesday,June30,

lawyersfromIJsheadquartersandourAustin-

basedstatechapterlaunchedafrontalassault

onTexasbureaucratsvisionofjudicialabdica-

tion.

AsloyalLiberty&Lawreadersknow,

teethfloatingisacommonanimalhus-

bandrypracticethatinvolvesfilingdownsharp

enamelpointsthatcandeveloponahorses

molarsandpreventthehorsefromchewingits

foodproperly.Horseteethfloatershavemuch

incommonwithfarriers,whonotonlyshoe

horses,butalsotrimandleveltheirhooves.

Forreasonsthathavenothingtodowith

public(oranimal)welfareandeverythingtodo

withstiflingfaircompetition,veterinaryassoci-

ationsinvariousstates,includingTexas,have

beenclamoringfortheirfriendsonstatevet

boardstoconfinethepracticeofteethfloat-

ingtolicensedveterinarians.Nevermindthe

2004reportbytheTexasBoardofVeterinary

MedicalExaminersCommitteeonEquine

Dentistry,whichfoundthattherearenot

enoughveterinariansskilledinequinedentistrytomeetthepublicsneedsandthat[m]ost

veterinariansdonotfeelcomfortableperform-

ingdentalprocedures.

SoconfidentistheStateBoardofitsabil-

itytowhitewashthosefindingsandimposeits

willonhorseownersinTexas,thatitfileda

motionthisspringaskingthejudgetothrow

outIJslegalchallengeanddeclarethatno

matterhowharmfultheBoardsnewpolicyon

horseteethfloatingmightbe,andnomatter

howobviouslydrivenbytheveterinarycartel

thecourtscanprovidenomeaningfulcheck

ontheBoardsarbitraryexerciseofgovern-

mentpowerinshuttingdownteethfloaters.

Duringatwo-hourtrialcourthearingin

June,wefoughtbackagainstthatperverse

theoryandexplainedthatweliketheTexas

Constitutionhaveamuchdifferentunder-

standingoftheroleofthecourtsinprotecting

economicliberty.Ourbriefsandoralargu-

mentsdocumentedinmeticulousdetailhow

theBoardhadsimplyignoredlegalrequire-

mentsthatarespecificallydesignedtoensure

maximumpublicparticipationanytimestate

agenciesmakesignificantchangesinenforce-

mentpolicy,astheBoardtriedtodowith

horseteethfloatinginourcase. Inresponse,theBoardofferedahodge-

podgeofargumentsrangingfromthemerely

unpersuasivetothepatentlyabsurd.The

Boardslawyerseventriedtopersuadethe

judgethatalthoughitscampaignagainsthors

teethfloatersiswellintoitsthirdyear,the

Boardactuallyhasnogenerallyapplicablerul

onhorseteethfloating,andinsteadhasbeen

persecutingourclientsanddozensofother

teethfloatersonapurelycase-by-casebasis

Thisdidnotappeartositwellwiththe

trialcourtjudge,whoseemedtorecognizea

bureaucraticsnow-jobwhenshesawone.We

arestillawaitingarulingonthestatesmotion

forsummaryjudgmentandourcross-motion,

andweremainoptimisticthatfreedom,com-

monsenseandourclientswillstillbestandin

whenthedustsettles.u

Clark Neilyis an IJ

senior attorney.

IJ attorneys, staff and our local counsel meet with IJ clients and supporters outside the Austin courthouse where the fight to protect the

livelihoods of Texas horse teeth floaters continues.

IJ Continues to Knock Horse SenseInto Texas Bureaucrats

0


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August 2

Volume19Issue4

About the publication

Liberty & Law is published bimonthly by the

Institute for Justice, which, through strategic

litigation, training, communication, activismand research, 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 theideology of the welfare state and illustrates

and extends the benefits of freedom to those

whose full enjoyment of liberty is denied by

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Quotable QuotesCBS Evening News

IJ-AZ Executive Director Tim Keller: The

U.S.Constitutionprotectseveryindividuals

righttoearnanhonestlivingfreefromarbitrary

governmentinterference.Andwhatcouldbe

morearbitrarythanthegovernmentdeciding

whoisandwhoisnotqualifiedtoselland

arrangeflowers?

The New York Times

WilliamR.Maurer,alawyerwiththeInstituteforJustice,whichrepresentschalleng-

ersintheArizonacase,welcomedTuesdaysorder.TheSupremeCourtsdecision

todaywillallowthe2010Arizonaelectiontooccurwithoutthegovernmentplacingits

thumbonthescaleinfavorofthosepoliticianswhoreceivegovernmentsubsidies,

hesaidinastatement.Thepurposeofthislawwastolimitindividualsspeechby

limitingtheirspending.ButtheFirstAmendmentdoesnotpermitthegovernmentto

restrainAmericansfromrobustlyexercisingtherightoffreespeech.

The Economist

Allstatesregulateprofessionallobbyists;thatis,paidagentswhocommunicate

directlywithpoliticiansinthehopeofswayingthem.Fairenough.Butanewreport

fromtheInstituteforJustice,alibertariangroup,revealsthat36statesalsoimpose

restrictionsongrassrootslobbying.Afeweventhreatencriminalsanctionsforthose

whoviolatesuchrules:inAlabama,themaximumpenaltyisanincredible20years

injail.Becausefewthingsoffendpoliticiansmorethanthesightofcitizensbanding

togethertopetitionthemwithgrievances.

Mother Jones

TodayIholdouttheolivebranchofcomitytomylibertarianfriends.TheInstitute

forJusticehasjustreleasedalengthyreportoncivilassetforfeiture,theability

ofstateandfederalagenciestoseizepropertyusedinthecommissionofacrime

evenifnoonehasactuallybeenconvictedofacrime,andIrecommendreading

it.Thepracticeisappallingallbyitself,butitsevenworsethanitsounds:Inmost

statesandunderfederallaw,lawenforcementcankeepsomeoralloftheproceeds

fromcivilforfeitures.Thisincentivehasledtoconcernthatcivilforfeitureencour-

agespolicingforprofit,asagenciespursueforfeiturestoboosttheirbudgetsatthe

expenseofotherpolicingpriorities.


12/12IJi P B id

Institute for Justice901 N. Glebe RoadSuite 900

Arlington, VA 22203

[T]he Institute

or Justice [is] ...

a great champion

of economic lib-

erty and the rightsof entrepreneurs.

National Review Online

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U . S . P O S T A G E

P A I D

INSTITUTE FOR

J U S T I C E

I saw a government-backed casket cartel overcharging grieving famil

I saw not only an injusticeI saw an opportunity to change th

I now sell caskets in nine different states, saving

people money while giving them peace of mind.

I am the power of one entrepreneur.

I am IJ.

I i f J i

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Liberty & Law: IJ's Bimonthly Newsletter (August 2010)

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