Institute for Justice
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Founded in 1991 by Chip Mellor and Clint Bolick, the Institute for Justice is a libertarian public interest law firm in the United States. Its mission is to provide pro bono legal advice and representation, litigating strategically to pursue its free market agenda. It supports school choice and opposes affirmative action and eminent domain abuse.
The Institute has been involved in numerous high-profile cases. Particularly noteworthy cases include school choice lawsuits in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Arizona, an eminent domain lawsuit brought against Donald Trump, and the interstate wine sales case of Swedenburg v. Kelly currently in front of the Supreme Court.
In addition to litigation, "the Institute [takes its cases] to the court of public opinion with a blitz of editorials and op-eds in leading local and national newspapers." [1] (http://www.ij.org/publications/liberty/1997/l_9_97_e.html). The Institute also conducts training programs for law students, hosts several annual conferences, and publishes several newsletters, including Liberty and Law.
The initial funding for the Institute came from the Koch Family Foundations, which also fund the libertarian Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy.
Mellor currently serves as the Institute's president and general counsel, while Bolick serves as counsel for strategic litigation.
References
- This article uses material from the Disinfopedia article on Institute for Justice (http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Institute_for_Justice).
- Institute for Justice (http://www.ij.org) web site.
- The London School of Economics Hayek Society, "John Blundell (http://www.lse.ac.uk/clubs/hayek/capitalism.htm)", Capitalism seminar, Hayek society, accessed January 2004.
- People for the American Way (http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=7645) report on Institute for Justice.
- Phil Wilayto, "The Institute For Justice (http://my.execpc.com/~ajrc/ifj.html)", A Job is a Right Campaign, February 8, 2000.