liberty & law ij's bimonthly newsletter (april 2011)
TRANSCRIPT
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Volume 20 Issue 2
Board Chairman
Looks Back on
IJs 20 Years
2
Robert Wilson Issues
$10 Million
Challenge Grant
3
IJ Client in
USA Today:
Compensate Bone
Marrow Donors
4
Communications Team
Stays on the Cutting Edge
9
Published Bimonthly by theInstitute for Justice
visit us online:
www.ij.org
Inside This Issue
By Matt Miller Youveprobablyheardalotofpositivebuzz
aboutstreetvendinglately.Vendorsarethedarling
ofmanyfoodcritics,andtheynowhavetheirown
realitytelevisionshow.Consumerslovethecombi-
nationofeclecticmenusandlowprices.Budding
entrepreneurslovethelowcostofentryandthe
chancetostartabusinessfromscratch.Andsome
cities,likeAustinwithitsrecentGypsyPicnic,have
beguntoembracevendorsforthelifeandvitality
theybringtothelocaldiningscene.
Unfortunately,inmanyothercities,vendors
arebeingforcedtofightfortheirveryexistence.
NowhereisthistruerthaninElPaso,Texas,where
thecityhasbannedvendorsfromoperatingwithin
1,000feetofanyrestaurant,grocerorconvenience
store.Ifyouimaginecircleswitha1,000-footradius
drawnaroundeverysinglebusinessthatsellsfood
inElPaso,youwillquicklyseehowonerousthis
restrictionis.IthasessentiallyturnedElPasointoa
No-VendingZone.
Thisnewrestrictionhasabsolutelynothingto
dowithprotectingpublichealthorsafety.Itisa
transparentattempttoprotectbrick-and-mortar
restaurantsfromcompetitionbyforcingvendorsout
ofbusiness.Notably,theheadoftheElPasorestau
rantassociationandrepresentativesofotherbrick-
and-mortarrestaurantsservedontheadvisoryboard
thatassistedthecityindraftingthenewlaw.
Thenotionthatrestaurantswhichenjoynumer
ousadvantagesoverstreetvendors,suchastheabil
itytoseatandservemorecustomers,greaterstor-
agespace,andfullon-sitekitchenscannotsurvive
competitionfromstreetvendorswithoutgovernment
assistanceissilly.Thegovernmentshouldntbein
El Pso Vedig continued on pge 10
April 2011
El Pso Trgets Mobile VedorsWith Protectioist Regultios
2020litig
atingforlibertyyearsyears
MEan STREETS:El Pso Trgets Mobile VedorsWith Protectioist Regultios
El Paso is tr ying to shut down street vendors like IJ client Mri Robledo by making it virtually impossible to sell food
on city streets.
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2020liti
gatingforliberty
yearsyears
1991-2011
By David B. Kennedy
TwentyyearsagothisSeptemberafter
manyyearsofthought-filledandcareful
preparationtheInstituteforJusticewas
launchedinWashington,D.C.Through
hardworkandadherencetoprinciple,IJ
hasgrownintoanorganizationthatcon-
sistentlymovesthenationtowardgreater
respectforconstitutionalrightsandindi-
vidualliberty.WhatisthesecrettotheInstitutessuccess?Ithasjustbeena
matteroftirelesshardworkbyawonderful
groupoftalentedpeople,operatingwith
enormousgoodwill,allthewhileadhering
closelytoIJsfoundingmission.Butthat
missionisoftheutmostimportance.
IJremainsonmissiontoprotect
property rights.Twentyyearsago,prop-
ertyownersfacedtheever-presentthreat
ofeminentdomainabuse,unquestioned
regulatoryrestrictionsontheirlandand
unchallengedpolicingforprofitintheguise
ofcivilforfeiture.Twentyyearslater,IJ
helpedtransformthelegallandscape(even
aftertheinfamousKeloruling)byhelpingto
changethelawin43statestooffermore
robustprotectionfromeminentdomain
abusewhereoncetherehadbeenlittleor
none.IJteamedupwithlegendarylaw
professorRichardEpsteintofileaseriesof
amicusbriefswiththeU.S.SupremeCourt,
therebyreininginregulatorytakings.IJis
nowhardatworkchallengingcivilforfeiture
throughlitigation,researchandadvocacyinthecourtofpublicopinion.
IJremainsonmissiontoexpd eco-
omic liberty.WhenIJopeneditsdoors,
regulatorsandpoliticallypowerfulcartels
operatingbelowtheradarharassedwould-
beentrepreneurstothepointofexhaustion
inthenameofprotectingthepublic,while
reallyonlyprotectingexistingserviceprovid-
ersfromcompetition.Twentyyearslater,
thanksinlargeparttoIJswork,thecourts,
themediaandthepublicareshowinglittle
toleranceforsuchgood-old-boynetworks.
Today,economiclibertyisontheriseand
economicprotectionismisinretreat.
IJremainsonmissiontodefed
school choice.In1991,fewhadever
evenheardtheideaofschoolchoiceand,
althoughitwasintuitivelyacoreAmerican
value,fewgavemuchthoughttotheidea
thatparentsshouldorcoulddirecttheedu-
cationoftheirchildren.AndsoIJwentto
workputtingthatissue,too,inthenations
consciousness,litigatingallthewayupto
theU.S.SupremeCourt,puttingahumanfaceontheissue,andwinning.Becauseof
theeffortsoftheInstituteforJustice,today
schoolchoiceisarealityfortensofthou-
sandsofkidsacrossthenation.Through
IJ-advocatedschoolchoiceprograms,these
kidsaregettingafarbettereducationtoday
thananyonecouldhavedreamedof20
yearsago.
IJremainsonmissiontovidicte
free speech.Twentyyearsago,theFirst
Amendmentwasintatters,offeringlimited
protectionforpoliticalspeechandsecond-
classtreatmentforcommercialspeech.
Toooftenthegovernmentratherthanfree
IJ: On Mission 20 Years Later
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april 20
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atingforlyearsyears
andresponsibleindividualsdecidedwhat
informationthepublicneededtohear.But
thankstooneIJcaseafteranother,thelawof
thelandhaschangedandAmericanstoday
arefreertospeakandbeheardthantheywere
20yearsago.ThankstoIJ,individualcitizens
maymoreeasilyadvocatefortheelectionor
defeatofapoliticalcandidatewithoutfirsthav-
ingtogetthegovernmentspermission.Small-
businessownersfacefewerbarrierswhen
theycommunicatewiththeircustomers.Free
speechisexpandingbecauseofIJsmerry
bandoflibertarianlitigators.
OneofthereasonsIJhasremainedso
successfulisthattheyhavethesophistication,
confidenceandvisiontounderstandthatthey
arenotinthebusinessoftryingtorightallthe
wrongsofthisworld.IJhascarefullychosenfourareasoflitigationthatconstitutethecore
oftheAmericanDreamtherighttoowna
pieceofpropertyandcallityours,theright
topursueanhonestlivingintheoccupation
ofyourchoice,therighttodirecttheeduca-
tionofyourchildrenandtherighttospeak
freelyonanysubjectwithouthavingtogetthe
governmentspermission.Wehavebrought
tobearallthetalentandpassionindividuals
canmustertomakethatdreamarealityforas
manyAmericansaspossible.IJdoesntseek
toplowwell-cultivatedlegalfields.Rather,itseekstoplanttheseedsoforder,reasonand
justiceinthefallowfieldsoflawwhereliberty
mustflourish.
Tothatend,theInstituteforJustice
recentlylauncheditsCenterforJudicial
Engagementasameansofengagingthe
courtsandconvincingthemthattheyhave
avitalconstitutionalroletoplayifweareto
liveinanationoflimitedgovernment.IJhas
achievedthatwithindividualcourtsoverthe
years.ThroughthenewCenter,wehaveevery
intentionofmakingthesechangessystemic.
IJscapabilitiesmayhavegrownandits
staffmayhaveexpanded,butourmissionhas
neverwavered.Trueeffectiveness,likethat
demonstratedbytheInstituteforJusticeover
thepast20years,demandsthedisciplined
adherencetomissionthatisanIJhallmark.u
Dvid B. Keedyis the chairman
of IJs board of directors.
april 20
2020litig
atingforlyearsyears
By Chip Mellor
Aswereflectonthe20-year
historyoftheInstituteforJustice,
certainachievementsandevents
havelaidastrongfoundationfor
IJsfuturesuccess.Oneofthe
mostexcitingwasthe$5-million
challengegrantissuedbyRobert
Wilsonin2008.Withthegener-
osityofmanyotherIJsupporters,
wemetthatchallenge.
Bobwassopleasedwith
theenthusiasmofourdonorsandwhatweaccomplished
withthatfirstgrantthathehas
issuedanewchallengegrantof
$10million.Asbefore,Bobwill
provide$1forevery$2ofnew
orincreasedsupportof$5,000
ormore.Fordetails,please
contactIJsVicePresidentfor
DevelopmentBethStevensat
Throughthisnewchallenge,
IJwillcontinuetogrowintoa
nationalforceforliberty,securingconstitutionallimitsongovern-
mentpoweratatimewhenthat
hasneverbeenmoreimportant.
IJhasdevelopedtheseasoned
managementandprofessional
staffthat,alongwithourtime-
testedstrategy,ensureweare
well-equippedtomakethemostof
suchgenerosity.
WeintendfortheInstitute
forJusticetobecomeahouse-
holdnamesothatwhencoreAmericanvaluesofproperty
rights,economicliberty,school
choiceandfreespeechareunder
assaultandsomeoneasks,Who
canwecall?thereisoneobvi-
ousanswer:TheInstitutefor
Justice!u
Chip Mellor is IJs
president and general
counsel.
Doubles
Bob will provide $1 for every $2 of new orincresed support of $5,000 or more.
Robert Wilso Doubles Dowfor Liberty
$10,000,000IJ Chllenge Grnt
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M 11-ear-old son, Ara, was an angelwho transformed m life. His death from
leukemia last April took awa not just m
onl child, it also took awa m ver heart
and soul, and triggered the collapse of m
23-ear marriage.
Aras traged happened in part be-
cause of a lack of bone marrow donors.
Each ear, as man as 3,000 people in the
U.S. die waiting for a bone marrow donor
match. A signicantl higher number of
people die from complications arising from
partiall matched donors. This is largelavoidable, and the shortage of donors is
made worse b a federal law that I and
other families of cancer patients are ght-
ing in federal court. On Tuesda, the U.S.
Court of Appeals in Pasadena, Calif., will
hear arguments in our constitutional chal-
lenge against the U.S. attorne general.
Our suit contests the part of the Na-
tional Organ Transplant Act that bans
families like ours from setting up a pilot
program to offer modest compensation to
donors with the most needed bone marrow
and thus save more lives. The law makes
offering an compensationsuch as a
housing allowancea federal crime that
could land everone involved (from the
doctor to the donor to the patient) in jail.
In our view, the Constitution does not al-
low the government to imprison people for
doing no harm while saving lives.
Severe donor Shortage
The problem for cancer patients is
that onl 2% of Americans are on the na-
tional bone mar-
row donor regis-
tr, which makesnding a perfect
donor match like
nding a needle in
a hastack. Find-
ing a bone marrow
donor match isnt
as simple as nd-
ing a blood donor
match; bone mar-
row donors must
be compatible on
a deep geneticlevelsomething
that is especiall
hard to nd for
minorities.
Ara re-
ceived a close-but-
not-perfect donor
match in 2009, which created painful and
life-threatening complications for him that
required hospitalization for an extended
time. A better match ma have saved his
life. Expanding the donor pool will not
onl create more donor matches, but also
better ones.
But to increase the donor pool, it
makes sense to offer modest compensation
to offset the inconvenience and discomfort
of donating. Donors generall donate b
receiving an injection once a da for ve
das to increase marrow-cell production,
and then having marrow cells drawn from
their arm using the same technique used
b donors of other blood components such
as platelets and plasma. The medicine can
cause u-like smptoms, and the dona-
tion process can take several hours. Right
now, donors who are informed that the
are a match sometimes decide not to do-
nate, often because the cant take time off
work. Offering simple incentives, including
college scholarships to oung-adult do-
norswhose marrow is healthiestcould
increase the number of people who go
through with donation.
This case isnt about medicine; ever-
one agrees that bone marrow transplants
save lives. This case is about whether indi-
viduals can make choices about compen-
sating someone or receiving compensation
for making a bone marrow donation with-
out the government stopping them.
Lets compensate bone marrow donors
FEBRUARy 11, 2011
By KUMUD MAjUMDER
IJ client Kumud Mjumder holds a photo of his son, 11-year-old ary, at a
press conference outside the federal court in Pasadena. Arya lost his battle
with cancer in part because of a lack of bone marrow donors. Kumud and
other family members of cancer patients are fighting to remove the federal
ban on compensating bone marrow donors.
APPhoto
/NickUt
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atingforlyearsyears
Marrow different froM organS
Inevitabl when I discuss this issue, peo-
ple raise concerns about markets in human
organs and wonder whether compensation
would exploit the poor. These are legitimate
concerns that can be easil addressed in the
context of marrow donations.
Organs such as kidnes do not grow back
when the are removed, and kidne donation
requires invasive surger.
Bone marrow, on the other hand, is a
special tpe of blood cell that grows back.
Donating bone marrow uses a technique
similar to donating other blood cells such asplatelets for which compensation is legal. Do-
nating marrow is safe, and more than 40,000
people have donated bone marrow without a
single donor death. And patients receive do-
nor bone marrow like blood, through a trans-
fusion.
The differences between irreplaceable
organs and bone marrow answer concerns
about the poor. Here compensation would be
a safe and ethical wa to do no harm while
bringing together the most needed donors
and patients who are otherwise certain to die.Despite all Ara went through, his resil-
ience never wavered. He trul lived up to the
name we gave him: Ara Avalokitesvara
the Great Compassionate Lord Buddha.
Ara is m hero who inspired his mother and
me to create an organization to ght child-
hood cancer (www.araskids.org) and ght for
bone marrow transplants.
In the end, creating more and better
bone marrow donor matches through a ss-
tem of modest compensation will save the
lives of patients, improve the lives of donors,
drive down the costs of treatment and im-
prove the qualit of life of cancer patients as
the battle to survive.
Ara alwas wished that all the kids at
the hospital where he was treated would go
back home one da full cured. Lets work to
make that dream a realit.
Kumud Majumder, Ph.D., lives in Upper Saddle
River, N.J. To learn more about his lawsuit, visit
www.ij.org.
TheInstituteforJusticetenaciouslyadvancesitsclientscases
andthecausefreedom.AstheUSATodayop-edtotheleftdemon-
strates,IJworkstoprofileitsclientsinleadingnewsoutletsacrossthe
nation,couplingthoseplacementswithnewshookssuchascase
filingsor,inthiscase,amajorcourtargument.Otherfeaturesonthis
casehaveappearedinTheNewYorkTimes,TheLosAngelesTimes,
TheEconomistandinothernewsmediaoutletsnationwide.
TohearIJinaction,listentoJeffRowesargueourbonemarrow
donorcasebeforethe9thU.S.CircuitCourtofAppeals,visit:
http://im.ij.org/dZIhKa.
FormoreinformationaboutIJsbonemarrowdonorcase,visit:
www.ij.org/2900.u
IJ Makes the CaseThat Bone Marrow DonorsShould be Compensated
KCBS-TV in Los Angeles featured the clients and attorneys of the Institute
for Justice in a story on IJs bone marrow donor case, which was argued in
February before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A decision is expected
in the case in the coming months.
Her IJ in ction before the9th U.S. Circuit Court of appels
http://im.ij.org/dZIhKa
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By Christina Walsh AsouthernNewJerseytownshipis
demonstratingjusthowfartax-hungrygov-
ernmentofficialswillgointheirquestfor
pie-in-the-skydevelopmentandwhyrestric-
tionsontheuseofeminentdomainareso
desperatelyneededtoprotecthard-working
propertyowners.
MountHollyofficialshavebeenusing
thethreatofeminentdomaintoripapartthe
Gardens,acommunityoncehometo1,000
residents.Officialsboughtupmorethan
300garden-stylerowhomesandareboard-ingthemupthentearingthemdown,even
whiletheyarestillattachedtohomesthat
arelivedincreatingblightwithreckless
demolitionsthatoftencauseseveredamage
totheremaininghomes.
Thespaciousbutmodestlypriced
homesintheGardenshaveattracted
hard-working,low-incomefamiliessince
theywerebuiltinthe1950stypically
AfricanAmericanandHispanicfirst-time
homebuyers.TheGardensbecamea
close-knit,vibrantcommunitywhere
residentstookcareofoneanother.
ButMountHollyofficialsdecided10yearsagotogivethecommunityto
PhiladelphiadeveloperKeatingUrban
Partnerssothatfirmcouldbuildover-
pricedluxuryapartmentsandtownhomes.
LeonaWrightisoneoftheresidents
thetownshipistryingtogetridof.She
turned92lastmonth.Whenshemoved
totheGardens,hersonwasinthirdgrade;
heisnowagrandfather.Herfamilypur-
chasedtworowhomesandcombined
themintoonewhenhernow-deceasedhus-
band,aWorldWarIIveteran,wasstationedatFortDix.Herhomeislovinglydecorated
withphotosofherfamily.
NancyLopezalsolivesinthe
Gardens.Sheraisedfivechildrenonher
owninherthree-bedroomhome.Attimes
shehasworkedtwojobstoaffordher
mortgage,andalsowentbacktoschooltoimproveheremploymentprospects.Her
childrenhaveallgoneontocollegeor
enteredtheworkforceandarethemselves
homeowners.
Thesewomenandtheirneighbors
deservetokeepwhattheyhaveworkedso
hardtoown.
Toraiseawarenessaboutthisabuse
andtoreinforcethecommunitysunityand
resolve,IJteamedupwithresidentsand
heldaHarvestFestivalthispastfallwith
games,prizes,donatedfoodandaline-upofspeakersfromacrossthestate.Wealso
placedop-edsinthePhiladelphiaInquirer
andTheHuffingtonPost.InJanuary,we
launchedabillboardcampaign,andpro-
ducedavideothatcanbeviewedat
www.ij.org/MoutHolly.
Tounderscorenotonlythemoral
bankruptcyofwhatthetownshipis
doing,butalsoitseconomicbankruptcy
IJsStrategicResearchteamdocu-
mentedthatthetownshipsfiscal-impac
studyofthedevelopmentreliedon
unrealisticassumptionsaboutthehous-
Fighting for RightsAnd What is RightIn New Jersey
www.ij.org/MtHollyVideo
Watch the video about how Mount Holly, N.J., residents
are fighting eminent domain abuse.
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atingforlyearsyears
The Grdens hs been destroyed for project tht my result in loss for the township of
$1 million yer.
ingmarketandtheeconomy.Basedonourfindings,thetownshipcouldactuallysufferanannual lossof$1millionthats10percent
ofthetownshipsentirebudget.
Sofar,townshipleadersareunmoved.Duringtheholidays,the
remainingresidents(lessthanonethirdoftheGardensresidents
areleft)receivedthetownshipsfinaloffersfortheirhomes,which
theyhaduntilmid-Januarytoacceptorfacecondemnation.
TheGardenshasbeendestroyedforaprojectthatmayresult
inalossforthetownshipof$1millionayear.Notonlydoofficials
refusetoprovideresidentswithreplacementhousinginthenew
development,theamountsbeingofferedthemarehalftheamount
smallerversionsoftheirhomesaresellingforjustafewblocks
away. AsoftheendofFebruary,theGardensresidentsremainin
limbobuttheyfighton,knowingthatthisisanunconscionable
abuseofpowerthatisemblematicofNewJerseyshorribleeminent
domainlaw.TheInstituteforJusticewillcontinuetofightforjustice
fortheGardenshomeownersandforreformatthestatelevelto
preventthistragedyfromeverhappeningagain.u
Christi Wlsh is IJs director of activism and coalitions.Top, IJ hosted a neighborhood festival to inform the public about
the abuse of eminent domain in Mount Holly. Center, IJ Director of
Activism and Coalitions Christi Wlsh fires up the gathering while
IJ AttorneyBob Mcnmr, bottom, discusses how eminent domain
for private gain is not only wrong, it is unconstitutional.
Pictured left, the Institute for Justice is taking its fight against eminent
domain abuse in Mount Holly, N.J., to new heights with billboards that
spotlight this use of eminent domain for private gain.
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By Beth Milnikel
OnFebruary1,snowstartedfalling
inChicagoanddidntletupuntilthecity
wasburiedbeneath20.2inchesofthe
whitestuff.Chicagoanswereurgednottotrytodrive.Everythinggroundtoa
halt.
Well,notquiteeverything.IJClinic
clientJustUsLawnCarewasworking
aroundtheclock,plowingdrivewaysand
sidewalksclearfortheircustomers.
JimmieandTiffanyWilliamsbegan
JustUsin2008becausetheyneeded
tofindawaytoearnanhonestliving
andsupporttheirkids.Asteenagers,
theyhadfallenpreytosomeoftheall-
too-commonproblemsthatplagueinner-
cityyouth.Theyhadchildrenwhenthey
werestillunmarriedteenagers.Jimmie
endedupinjailforawhile.Butthey
hadtheloveforoneanotherandthe
strengthofcharactertoturntheirlives
around.TheygotmarriedandTiffany
startedworkingasahairstylist.Witha
record,though,itwashardforJimmie
tofindajob.Jimmiehadtomakehis
ownwork.
Oneday,theWilliamsessawanad
forapickuptruckthattheycouldafford,
andtheyturnedthatlistingintoabusi-
nessopportunity.Jimmiestartedknock-
ingondoorsandofferingtoplowsnow
forpropertymanagementcompanies
thatoverseebigapartmentbuildings.
Andwhensummercame,hetaughthimselfaboutlandscapingandlawn
caretokeepservinghiscustomers.
JustUsishardworkingandhonest,and
customersraveabouttheirreliability
andprofessionalism.Peoplewhoknew
JimmieandTiffanyaskidsarebegin-
ningtotakenotice,too,usingthemas
modelsfortheirownself-improvement.
Theyarebeginningtosay,IfJimmie
Williamscandoit,socanI!
JimmieandTiffanyareconstantly
strivingtolearnmoreaboutrunning
theirbusinesswell.Jimmietookaclass
onentrepreneurship,andtheprofessor
referredhimtotheIJClinicforhelpwith
legalquestions.Lawstudentsworking
intheIJClinichavecounseledJustUs
sinceSeptemberonissuesrangingfrom
thetermstoincludeinacustomercon-
tracttothepurchaseofasecondtruck.
Justrecently,wehelpednegotiatethe
leaseforanofficewhereTiffanywill
managetheaccountingandcustomer
communicationsforthebusiness.We
successfullyrefusedtermsthatwere
extremelyunfavorabletoJustUsand
wesecuredanoptiontorenewatthe
samerent,sothatJustUscancontinue
togrowwithasecurebusinessaddress.
(Toobadthecityrequiresthemtopayforanentirelynewlicensebecausethey
hadachangeofaddressyetanother
itemtoaddtoourlistoflawstoreform.)
JustUsisayoungbusiness,runby
first-timeentrepreneurs.Butitpassed
thebiggesttestofallbytakingcareof
customersduringthehistoricBlizzard
of2011.Threegenerationsofthefam-
ilywenttowork,withJimmiesfather
drivingthesecondtruckandtheirold-
estsonworkingasnowblower.They
showedthatthisbusinesshasstaying
power.Andtheyshowed,onceagain,
thattheentrepreneurialspiritthedrive
tobuildabetterfutureforyourfam-
ilycannotbebeat.TheIJClinicwill
doallitcantoclearthewaytowardthat
futuresoJustUsanditsownerscan
plowaheadnomatterthe
season.u
Beth Milikel directs the IJ
Clinic on Entrepreneurship.
IJ Cliic Cliet Just Us Plows PthFor Urb Etrepreeurs
PhotobyBenSpeckmann
IJ Clinic Director Beth Milikel, left, stands with clinic clients Jimmie Willims and Tiffy Willims, who run Just Us Lawn Care.
They are joined by clinic students Stephie Ptterso and Tyler Bes.
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atingforlyearsyears
By Bob Ewing
Eversinceourfounding20yearsago,the
InstituteforJusticehasinsistedonfightingeachof
ourlawsuitsintwocourts:thecourtoflawandthe
courtofpublicopinion.
Wehavebuiltareputationnotjustasfirst-rate
litigators,butalsoasexcellentcommunicators.IJattorneysandlawsuitshavebeenfeaturedincount-
lesslocal,regionalandnationalmediaoutletsnation-
wideandbeyond.Wesetthetermsofdebateon
issueafterissueinthenationstopnewspapersand
broadcastswithaconsistentapproachfeaturingIJ
spokespeoplewhoareaccurate,timely,positive,thor-
oughandopen.Andourmediateampersonalizes,
humanizesanddramatizeseverystorywepitch.
Yetwerealizethatthemediamarketisrapidlychanging.
Newspapersareclosing,editorialboardsareshrinkingandreportersof
alltypesarebusierthanever.Bycontrast,blogsandonlinesocialmedia
sitesareexperiencingexponentialgrowth.IJhasstrategicallyadjustedour
mediarelationseffortstocapitalizeontheseprofoundmarketchanges.
Asaresult,ourcommunicationseffortscontinuetothrive.Westill
securegreatcoverageinprominenttraditionalmediaoutletslikeThe
Economist,TheWashingtonPost,Townhall.comandNationalPublic
Radiobutnowweadvancelibertyintheonlinesocialmediaworld,too.
TwoIJattorneysareregularHuffingtonPostbloggers.Inthepast
year,IJsFacebookpagehasgrownfromfewerthan3,000fanstomore
than33,000.Andwehaveoneofthemostpopularnonprofitchannels
onYouTube.
WerecentlypioneeredanewtypeofYouTubeclipwecallavideo
op-ed.Liketraditionalop-eds(akintonewspaperguestcolumns),these
piecespresentopportunitiesforIJspokespeopletoofferourinsightsand
setthetermsofdebateonpopularnewsstories.
Unliketraditionalop-eds,however,videoop-eds
areveryquicktoproduceandpublishourselvesby
simplyuploadingthemtoourYouTubechannel.We
thenpromoteeachofthesepiecestobloggersand
alliesacrossthephilosophicalspectrum,thereby
maximizingtheirimpact.Videoop-edsallowIJtomakeabigimpactina
shorttime.ConsiderIJSeniorAttorneyClarkNeilys
videoop-edonDaleSmith.AformerIJlawclerk
notifiedusthatSmith,an82-year-oldOregonbarber,
hadbeenshutdownbybureaucratsinaclassiccase
ofoccupationallicensingabuse.
Withinoneday,IJproducedanduploadeda
videoop-edtoYouTubeandhaditembeddedon
severalblogs,includingEdMorrisseyspopularsite,HotAir.com.Within
twodays,wewerecontactedbyPlayboymagazine,whichsawourvideo
andwantedtogiveDaleSmithaspecialHeffyAwardanhonornamed
afterPlayboyfounderHughHefner,whichrecognizesthosewhodemon-
stratespiritintheirgoldenyears.ThelocalOregonnewspaperdidastory
onthisangleandfeaturedIJ.Withinaweek,ourvideoop-edhadmore
than14,000views.
IJsmediateamwillcontinuetoevolveandcapitalizeonchangesin
themediamarket,butourbasicstrategywillalwaysbethesame.Wewill
consistentlymakeacompellingandpositivecaseforlibertyinthecourt
ofpublicopinion.
Andonedaysoon,theInstituteforJusticewillbea
householdname.u
Bob Ewig is IJs assistant director of communications.
april 20
2020litig
atingforlyearsyears
IJInnovatIon:
VideoOp-edsare
IJsLatestTool
ToAdvanceLiberty
IJ recently created a state-of-the-art video production studio that enhances the Institutes ability to create high-quality and creative videos in house.
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The government hs no right to deprive vendors of theopportunity to ern n honest living with nkedly
protectionist lw designed to drive them out of business.
thebusinessofpun-
ishingsomekindsof
businessesinorder
tobenefitothers.
Yet,ElPasohas
doneexactlythatby
adoptingalawthat
threatenstodestroy
athrivingvending
culture,reducecon-
sumerchoiceanddriveupfoodprices.
Thegovernmenthasnorighttodeprive
vendorsoftheopportunitytoearnanhonest
livingwithanakedlyprotectionistlawdesigned
todrivethemoutofbusiness.Thatiswhy
ElPasovendorshavejoinedwithIJtofight
backbysuingthecityinfederalcourttohave
thelawdeclaredunconstitutional.These
vendorsbuilttheirbusinessespiecebypiece.
Theypaytheirtaxes,complywithapplicable
food-safetyandtrafficregulations,andhave
vendinglicensesfromthecity.Theyhave
developedthrivingbusinessesandaloyal
customerbase.AsIJclientYvonneCastaneda
said,Werenotaskingforanythingotherthan
tobeabletorun
ourbusinesses
inpeacesothat
wecanserveour
customersand
supportourselves
andourfami-
lies.
Inthis
upside-down
economy,thegovernmentis
bailingoutbusinessesthatcouldnotmakeit
ontheirownwhilepunishingthosethathave
managedtosurvivethroughinnovationand
hardwork.ThisreflectsneithertheAmerican
idealsestablishedbyourConstitution,northe
kindofcountrythatweallwanttolivein.El
Pasoshouldstoptryingtorunstreetvendors
likeYvonneoutoftownandallowthemto
keeppursuingtheirAmericanDream.And
thatisexactlywhattheInstitute
forJusticeisfightingfor.u
Mtt Miller is the IJ Texas
Chapter executive director.
El Pso Vedig continued from pge 1
At a press conference in El Paso, IJ Texas Chapter Executive Director Mtt Miller and our clients discuss the citys efforts to shut down
mobile food vendors and protect brick-and-mortar restaurants from competition. Among other means, IJ has created compelling graphics
and a video to visually demonstrate the injustice of El Pasos new law.
Food Trucks Cannot VWithin 1000 Feet of Resta
Grocers and Convenience S
ELPASOBORDE
R
www.ij.org/3648
Watch the IJ case video
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april 20
2020litig
atingforlyearsyears
Volume20Issue2
about the publictio
Liberty & Lawis 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
government.
Editor: John E. Kramer
Layout & Design: Don Wilson
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E-mail: [email protected]: www.ij.org/donate
Quotable QuotesWJLA-TV
(ABC-7 DC)
IJ Seior attorey Bert Gll: Ifthesign
hadclownsonit,ordragons,ArlingtonCounty
wouldntbetryingtotakeitdown.Wevegot
meddlesomeArlingtonCountybureaucratstry-
ingtoplayartcritic.
Minnesota Public Radio
IJ-Mn attorey Jso adkis: Peoplehavetherighttoknowwhetherlaws
passedbycitiestowhichtheyaresubjectareconstitutional.Ourlawsshouldput
theburdenongovernmenttojustifyitsactions,andnottreatcitizenslikeoutlaws
forchallengingthem.
The Wall Street Journal
[T]henonprofit,libertarianlawfirmthatfiledthecase,theInstituteforJustice,said
abroaderprinciplewasatstake.Atwhatpointdostatelicensingrulesimposeanunreasonablerestrictiononpeoplesabilitytoearnaliving?saidClarkNeily,asenior
attorneywiththefirm,whichisbasedinArlington,Va.
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bb t J ti B
Institute for Justice901 N. Glebe RoadSuite 900Arlington, VA 22203
[The Istitute for
ustice is] doig
he work of the
gels . . .
effersos gels.
Judge Andrew Napolitano,
Fox Business Channel
NoN-PRoFIT oRG.
U . S . P o S T A G E
P A I D
I N S T I T U T E F o R
J U S T I C E
I i f J i
Our Abbey has been making caskets for over a century.We simply want to sell our plain wooden caskets to pay for food,
health care and the education of our monks.
But the state board and funeral cartel want to shut us down
We are fighting for our right and the right ofevery American to economic liberty.
I am IJ.