Libertas Institute (Utah)
 | |
| Established | December 2011[1] |
|---|---|
| Founder | Connor Boyack[1] |
| Location | |
President | Connor Boyack |
| Revenue | $15.1 million (2024)[2] |
| Expenses | $11.7 million (2024)[2] |
| Website | libertas |
The Libertas Institute (LI) is a libertarian think tank located in Lehi, Utah, United States.[3] The organization's stated mission is "to advance the cause of liberty within the State of Utah."[4][5] The Institute focuses on free market policies, private property rights, and civil liberties issues, including police reform and drug reform.[1]
Issues
In February 2015, the Libertas Institute and the Drug Policy Project of Utah conducted a poll which showed that the majority of Utah residents favor the legality of medical cannabis.[6] The organization has opposed current regulations on the study of agricultural marijuana, arguing that regulations governing the state's public university research of hemp are too strict.[7] In 2016, the Institute helped draft SB73 to legalize medical cannabis which passed the Utah Senate but was blocked by the House. In 2018, the Institute drafted a ballot initiative to pass medical cannabis. It was opposed by a law firm for the LDS church and the Institute provided a 7,000 word point-by-point rebuttal of the law firm's critiques.[8][9]
Along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, the Libertas Institute opposed a Utah legislative bill that would allow state police to use unmanned drones without a search warrant.[10] The organization favors allowing ridesharing companies to legally compete with taxi cab companies.[11] In 2026, the Institute worked with Senator John Johnson to draft SB327 which would eliminate licensing requirements for commercial interior designers, court reporters, deception detection practitioners and music therapists. The Institute noted that several states do not require licenses for these occupations and it supports reducing regulations on licensing more broadly.[12]
Tuttle Twins
The Tuttle Twins is a libertarian children's book series published by the Libertas Institute and written by Libertas President Connor Boyack. The series was made into a television show that raised $4.6 million in crowdsourced funding.[13]
References
- 1 2 3 Balko, Radley (October 26, 2013). "Meet The Activist Who's Bringing Conservatives On Board The Police Reform Movement". Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- 1 2 "Libertas Network - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ↑ "Leslie Corbly: Utah law would strike a balance between public safety and digital privacy". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ↑ "About Us". Libertas Institute. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ McKitrick, Cathy (March 10, 2015). "Bill to expand funding for Centennial Scholarship dies in House". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ Romboy, Dennis (March 9, 2015). "Utah Senate narrowly defeats medical marijuana bill". KSL. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ Knox, Annie (October 22, 2014). "Rules for Utah colleges to study hemp are too strict, group says". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ "Libertarian group that helped write Utah's medical marijuana ballot initiative calls LDS Church's analysis 'a political attack piece'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-26.
- ↑ "Mormon church releases a list of 'legal issues' with Utah's medical marijuana initiative". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-26.
- ↑ Romboy, Dennis (February 20, 2015). "Utah lawmaker proposes to ease restrictions on police use of drones". Deseret News. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ Figueroa, Carly (August 22, 2014). "Officials working on changes to laws governing rideshare companies in Salt Lake City". FOX 13. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ Keith, Caitlin; March 3, Deseret News | Posted-; A.m, 2026 at 6:51. "Lawmaker seeks to drop licensing requirements for 4 professions". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2026-08-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Chafkin, Max (2022-07-27). "Libertarian Cartoons Promise to Turn Your Kids Into Little Ayn Rands". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2022-08-21.