Tilt Vision Studios, LLC, et al. v. The City of Waller, Texas
Artists fight government whitewash of free expression and livelihoods
Under the First Amendment, however, the government cannot restrict expression that it doesn't like. Yet the City of Waller has done just that, enshrining into law its own aesthetic preferences in an effort to kill a thriving art mural business. And similar regulations are popping up in other cities to police "acceptable" types of public expres ...
Miall, et al. v. Asheville
Race preferences for government committees deny equality and opportunity
No government commission or committee should use an individual's race or ethnicity to determine who gets the opportunity to serve their public. Treating people according to immutable characteristics like race violates the very notion of equality before the law. People should be treated as individuals, not as members of a group they did not cho ...
Landscape Consultants of Texas, et al. v. City of Houston, et al.
Racial set-asides in Houston contracting deny equal treatment and opportunity
Jerry and Theresa Thompson have called Houston, Texas, home for more than 30 years. They love the area, having raised their family and built Landscape Consultants of Texas and Metropolitan Landscape Management, Inc., two thriving companies whose landscapers maintain parks, playgrounds, and other government-owned properties. Now, however, as the sem ...
Azadeh Khatibi, et al. v. Kristina Lawson, et. al
California’s controversial forced implicit bias training promotes distrust and resentment in medical care
Dr. Khatibi has organized and taught CME courses for many years on ophthalmology and, recently, following her cancer diagnosis, on mindfulness, wellness, and patient care for highly gifted and sensitive patients. Regardless of its relevance in her CME courses, she must replace some of her instruction with a discussion of implicit bias. Represented ...
Yoder and DDR Media, Inc. v. Lott
Drone entrepreneur stands up for livelihoods and free speech
Hunting isn't the only area caught in the government's crosshairs. Increasingly, drone use is becoming popular to aid in a variety of businesses. As with every new technology, the government often throws up unreasonable resistance, stretching legal boundaries to limit the unfamiliar. In addition to entrepreneurs, artists and other content creators ...
Palmer v. Bonta
Nurse Practitioner Doctors Defend Truthful Titles, Free Speech, Livelihoods
Like a growing number of nurse practitioners in California, Sarah Erny earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), the highest degree in advanced nursing. She's dubbed affectionately—and accurately—"Dr. Sarah" by her patients and colleagues. Today, however, although Sarah holds a doctorate, she is being criminally punished for exercising her ...
Brian Dalton, et al. v. Hao and MA Growth Capital Corp.
Massachusetts small business owner fights for equal treatment under the law
CASE RESOURCES Photos of Brian Dalton for media use CASE STORY Brian Dalton knows first-hand how brutal COVID-19 has been to small businesses. The longtime Massachusetts law enforcement officer founded New England Firearms Academy in 2013 after retiring from the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department. The academy provides all levels of certified firea ...
J.D. Haltigan v. Michael Drake
Fighting unconstitutional DEI “loyalty oaths” at the University of California
UC Santa Cruz's DEI declaration mandates are clearly unconstitutional. Government job seekers should be judged by their qualifications, not an ideological litmus test. Universities do not have carte blanche to engage in deliberate viewpoint discrimination through the hiring process. A DEI statement requirement is alarmingly similar to the "loyal ...
Hierholzer v. Guzman
Racial set-asides deny veteran’s equal treatment and opportunity in federal contracting
Marty Hierholzer simply wants the SBA to treat all applicants based on their individual experiences rather than their race. Represented at no charge by PLF, he is fighting back with a federal lawsuit, challenging the SBA's discriminatory contracting program and the statute that empowered the SBA to make race-based judgment calls. ...