Frequently Searched

Week in Review: Goldwater’s Latest Win against Government Bullies

May 22, 2021

Matthew Fabay nearly lost his car to the government, even though he hadn’t done anything to run afoul of the law. But thanks to the Goldwater Institute, Matthew has gotten his car back—and it’s Goldwater’s latest victory against the unfair practice of civil asset forfeiture.

In February of this year, government took away Matthew’s SUV after his sister’s fiancé was arrested while borrowing the truck, planning to forfeit it. But after Matthew sought the help of the Goldwater Institute, government agreed to give him back his vehicle. “Without Goldwater, I don’t think I would ever have gotten my truck back,” Matthew said. This welcome news comes just on the heels of Goldwater’s success in reforming Arizona’s unjust forfeiture law. Earlier this month, Governor Doug Ducey signed Goldwater’s sweeping reform of Arizona’s civil asset forfeiture laws, setting an example for other states to follow.

Matthew is just one of many innocent Americans harmed by civil asset forfeiture laws every year. Under these laws, government can take and hold the property of Americans, even when they haven’t done a thing wrong. Millions of dollars’ worth of property are forfeited this way each year. It’s time we put a stop to these laws—and you can learn more about what the actions the Goldwater Institute is taking to do just that here.

Will Congress Take Action to Help Military Families Get to Work?

For military families, frequent moves from state to state are a fact of life—and that means that many military spouses are constantly having to go through additional time and training in their new state just to do a job they’re already licensed to do. Many states have adopted the Goldwater Institute’s landmark Breaking Down Barriers to Work legislation to make it easier for military spouses to continue in their careers when they move from one state to another. And now, a newly introduced federal bill promises to bring this important reform to all military families across the country.

Senator Mike Lee recently introduced the Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act, a bipartisan federal reform designed to ease the pathway to occupational licensure for military spouses. This legislation would amend the Servicemember Civil Relief Act to ensure that military spouses with valid professional licenses can re-license at a similar level in the state where their spouse is currently serving on military orders. You can read more about this important bill at In Defense of Liberty.

The Goldwater Institute has long advocated for the universal recognition of occupational licenses, developing state-level legislation to benefit military families and skilled professionals alike. Since 2019, more than 15 states have adopted Goldwater’s Breaking Down Barriers to Work legislation. In Arizona alone, more than 3,100 individuals have benefited from the law since it went into effect less than two years ago.

You can learn more about Breaking Down Barriers to Work and the positive impact it’s having here.

TUESDAY: Join Us for a Special Healthcare Innovation Luncheon!

Attention Phoenix friends: We invite you to join us for a special luncheon hosted by the Goldwater Institute and the Pacific Research Institute this Tuesday (May 25) at 11:00am MST on the future of healthcare innovation in America.

Pacific Research Institute President & CEO Sally Pipes and Goldwater Institute Director of Healthcare Policy Naomi Lopez will be discussing real solutions for improving quality, access, and affordability for healthcare—ones that focus on dismantling government obstacles and putting cutting-edge medical discoveries quickly into the hands of doctors and patients. Goldwater has been leading the way in devising solutions like these, and you can read more about our proposals in our recently released blueprint on healthcare reform here.

To learn more about next week’s luncheon and to get your ticket, click here. We hope to see you there!

 

 

More on this issue

Donate Now

Help all Americans live freer, happier lives. Join the Goldwater Institute as we defend and strengthen freedom in all 50 states.

Donate Now

Since 1988, the Goldwater Institute has been in the liberty business — defending and promoting freedom, and achieving more than 400 victories in all 50 states. Donate today to help support our mission.

We Protect Your Rights

Our attorneys defend individual rights and protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Need Help? Submit a case.

Get Connected to Goldwater

Sign up for the latest news, event updates, and more.

Wait! Don’t close this yet!

We are grateful for your support of the Goldwater Institute’s efforts to advance and defend liberty throughout the United States. For over 36 years, we’ve been defending the rights of Americans to live their lives free from government interference.

And Goldwater is unique in that we direct our efforts to the 50 states where we introduce and advance innovative ideas that expand freedom. And we fight in courtrooms and capitals nationwide to defend individual liberty.

In 2024 alone, we scored over 50 policy and litigation victories defending liberty!

And that’s just the beginning.

Our plans for 2025 include:

  • Stopping pernicious DEI and other woke programs in America’s universities.
  • Ensuring that patients suffering from rare and terminal diseases have access to cutting-edge, lifesaving medical treatments, without having to first seek permission from the government.
  • Defending parental rights across the United States so that parents can send their kids to the school that best fits their needs, free from leftist indoctrination.
  • Eliminating government interference in the fundamental right of individuals to own property and use it as they see fit.
  • And much, much more

We seek to restore the presumption of liberty; that people are free to act without first asking permission from the government.

But we cannot do this without you. Will you join us as we fight to preserve and advance liberty throughout the country? As we seek new and innovative ways to defend freedom in all 50 states?

And there’s great news: Thanks to a generous Goldwater supporter, your donation today will be doubled!

So please, join us in fighting to advance liberty and score real wins for freedom from coast to coast!