American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Kay Ivey

Race quotas for government boards deny equality and opportunity

State law requires Alabama's governor not only to appoint all AREAB members, but also to consider race when making appointments and deny opportunities for some qualified citizens to competently serve the public based on no reason other than their race. Represented by Pacific Legal Foundation at no charge, the American Alliance for Equal Rights is f ...

Jennifer Schultz and Ceanna Johnston v. Washington Vet Board and Secretary of Health

Defending the right to practice horse floating against unreasonable licensing requirements

Floating has a long history of being practiced by professionals who are not veterinarians. Washington should encourage, rather than criminalize, such skilled and caring trained professionals. Washington's overly restrictive law harms horses and unreasonably denies citizens their right to earn a living—a blatant violation of the Washington Constit ...

Sabey parents reading to children
Joshua Sabey, et al. v. Butterfield et al.

Parents defend custodial rights and children’s security from lawless search and seizure

Alarmed by her three-month-old son's 103-degree temperature and at the family pediatrician's urging, graduate student Sarah Perkins brought baby Cal to a hospital emergency room just a few miles from their home in Waltham, Massachusetts. Sarah's husband Josh Sabey, a documentary filmmaker, stayed home with the couple's toddler, Clarence.   Doctors ...

Expansive Nebraska plains, nature's untouched beauty.
Thomas Villegas, et al. v. Michael S. Regan, et al.

Landowners fight in-house agency prosecution to restore fairness and political accountability

Thomas and Amy Villegas bought a patch of undeveloped property in Nebraska, intending to use the land's robust mix of meadows, woods, and streams for hunting and other recreational activities. Now they are being pursued by a federal agency, not in a court of law, but within its own walls, under its own rules, and before its own employees acting as ...

Marty Hierholzer Mjl Enterprises
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. ...

Des Moines Midwife Collective, empowering birth experiences.
Des Moines Midwife Collective v. Iowa Health Facilities Council

Iowa midwives fight back against cronyism to help expectant mothers

Emily Zambrano-Andrews has always had a passion for helping expectant parents bring children into the world. But ten years as a registered nurse working in obstetrics only led to her frustration with Iowa's hospital birth system. ...

COVID closure, a visual representation of pandemic impact.
Collins v. Meyers

Colorado small business owner fights for his right to equality before the law

Steve Collins lives in the small mountain town of Alma, Colorado. The sole proprietor of an event-planning company, Steve helps his clients coordinate meetings around the country. Pandemic-related event cancellations cost him roughly 30 percent of his income. Colorado passed legislation offering relief to small businesses but insisted on prioritizi ...

Texas farm, land of agricultural abundance.
Tiegs v. Vilsack

Race-based COVID-19 farm loan forgiveness denies equal treatment to farmers and ranchers across the country

When the pandemic struck, much of the U.S. agriculture industry felt the financial crunch. Julie Owen, James Tiegs, Abraham and Cally Jergenson, and Chad Ward were initially encouraged when Congress passed a COVID-19 relief law that included a farm loan forgiveness provision for economic hardship. But they each discovered that they are ineligible f ...

Katie and James Dunlap with their kids.
Dunlap v. Vilsack

Race-based COVID-19 farm loan forgiveness denies equal treatment to Oregon farmer

Katie and James Dunlap are farmers in Oregon who both work two jobs in addition to raising their toddler. The couple rent land from his parents where they raise cattle and hay—an endeavor that required two farm loans to buy cattle and equipment. Like many other farmers, the Dunlaps were negatively affected by COVID and were relieved when they hea ...