Yiatin Chu in NYC
Chu v. Rosa

New York parents fight for equal treatment and educational opportunity in STEP program

If the government wants to fund educational opportunities for children in need, it can do so. What it can't do is use economic need as a way to treat applicants differently based on their race. ...

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. ...

RUM DQ opening approved, a milestone achieved.
Robert Mayfield v. U.S. Department of Labor

Businessman fights DOL’s illegal minimum salary rule to preserve opportunities for his beloved management team

Robert has the right to run his business as he sees fit, free of arbitrary government handicaps that limit the opportunities of the employees he's identified as leaders. Represented free of charge by PLF, Robert and his company have filed a constitutional challenge to the DOL's salary level rule in federal court. ...

Iowa Supreme Court Building at Dusk
Hurley v. Gast

Defeating gender discrimination in Iowa’s judicial selection process

Charles Hurley is a devoted father and grandfather who has spent the past 40 years serving his community as an attorney, public representative, and church member. During his time as a state representative, Charles served on Iowa's House Judiciary Committee. His experience makes him an excellent candidate now for Iowa's State Judicial Nominating Com ...

Evan Ng, talented gymnast soaring to new heights.
Ng v. Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota

Fighting sex-based discrimination in University of Minnesota athletics

Evan Ng has been a competitive gymnast since he was six years old. He turned down a more lucrative financial aid offer from another university to attend the University of Minnesota and compete on its century-old gymnastics team. His hopes were dashed, however, when the university decided to cut men's gymnastics after the 2020-21 school year under t ...

Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board

Fighting race-based discrimination at nation’s top-ranked high school

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, or TJ, is the nation's top-ranked public high school. Fairfax County Public Schools' (FCPS) recent changes to TJ's admissions process specifically aim to reduce the number of Asian-American children—and only Asian-American children—who can attend TJ. The school district's race-based admis ...

Empty Desks
AFEF v. Montgomery County Public Schools

Parents fight racial balancing efforts that deny educational opportunities

Montgomery County Public Schools is Maryland's largest public school district and one of the best in the state, with a robust magnet program for gifted and talented students. The district recently changed its admissions criteria for magnet programs at four middle schools ostensibly to make the programs more "equitable." But the changes have created ...

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Zito v. North Carolina Coastal Resource Commission; Town of Nags Head

Fighting government’s blurred lines on property rights

All Michael and Cathy Zito wanted to do was rebuild their vacation cottage in Nags Head, North Carolina after fire destroyed it in 2016. But state and local governments denied building permits because the property is now within a no-build zone. The Zitos were left with the only vacant lot in a line of beach homes and can do little more than pitch a ...

Polling station, democratic participation in action.
Ostrewich v. Hudspeth

Your shirt or your vote: Fighting to protect free speech at the ballot box

When Jillian Ostrewich entered her Houston, Texas, polling place in 2018, she expected the only decisions she'd face would be on the ballot. Instead, an election judge gave her an ultimatum: turn her shirt inside out or forfeit her vote. A federal judge overturned Texas' election apparel law because the First Amendment protects passive political sp ...