Projects
We don’t just talk about fixing a broken system—we launch real-world strikes against it.
Fighting for What Matters
Change doesn’t happen by accident. At IACLS, every project is a deliberate move to defend freedom, challenge corruption, and build a legal system worthy of trust.
We don’t wait for permission — we create the pressure that forces real change.
Real Cases. Real Change.
Barber v. State
WonIACLS spotted the issue and, with co-counsel, wrote the PDR from start to finish—our first beginning-to-end win. The question: whether an officer can arrest someone for an offense he didn’t personally witness, based only on another officer’s observations. The Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the court of appeals and remanded.
Young v. State
WonAfter the court of appeals found the State had forfeited one of its justifications for a traffic stop, the question was whether the CCA should decide the case now on the existing record. The CCA reversed the court of appeals and remanded.
Garcia v. State
LostWhether the State proved the identity match needed to use an old conviction for a sentencing enhancement. The CCA affirmed the court of appeals; a motion for rehearing is pending.
Hernandez v. State
WonWhether the court of appeals mischaracterized the evidence used to justify a warrantless detention. The Court of Criminal Appeals reversed and ordered an acquittal.
Lamnissos v. State
PendingIACLS amicus brief: whether appellate courts must defer to a trial judge who cuts off a self-represented defendant’s cross-examination, or must independently assess whether the conduct was actually obstructive.
Comer v. State
PendingIACLS amicus brief: whether prosecutors must prove a defendant knew the specific drug involved, not just that it was some illegal drug, to convict for possession — resolving a split between Texas appellate courts.
Ex parte Hernandez
PendingIACLS amicus brief: whether a defendant can challenge prosecutorial vindictiveness — harsher charges for exercising a legal right — before trial, rather than only after.
Moten v. State
PendingIACLS amicus brief: whether prosecutors must turn over evidence held by police, not just what’s already in the prosecutor’s own file.
Jaimes v. State
PendingIACLS amicus brief: whether the jury should have been asked to find “knowingly” at all, when that mental state wasn’t relevant to the charge. Submitted, awaiting decision.
Ortego v. State
PendingWhether refusing to let the defendant’s out-of-state witnesses testify live by video violated his right to present a defense.
Franklin v. State
PendingWhether the lower courts let a single act count twice under the felony-murder statute, and whether the jury instructions omitted a required element.
State v. Lankford
PendingThe State’s appeal of a suppression ruling in our client’s favor — whether the State preserved its argument below, and whether the warrant used to search the phone’s contents was valid.
Williams v. State
PendingWhether the defendant properly and timely objected to defects in the wording of the charge against him, and whether the State raised a new argument on appeal too late. Submitted, awaiting decision.
Valdez v. State
PendingWhether a trial witness was improperly allowed to vouch for child witnesses’ truthfulness, and whether that error requires a new trial.
Nguyen v. State
PendingWhether a broad geofence warrant for cell-phone location data — followed by an officer alone choosing which additional phone owners to expose without returning to a judge — violated the Fourth Amendment. Submitted for argument.
Get Involved
Freedom doesn’t defend itself.
If you’re ready to take action — whether through volunteering, supporting our work, or joining the fight — we’re ready for you.
Join us and be part of something that actually moves the needle.