Vickee Byrum is an interior designer, but, remarkably, the State of Texas insists that she keep that fact a secret.

While anyone in Texas may legally provide interior design services, state law dictates that only those with government-issued licenses may call themselves “interior designers” or use the words “interior design” to describe what they do.

On May 9, 2007, the Institute for Justice, a national public interest law firm that defends free speech and the rights of entrepreneurs, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin on behalf of Vickee and three other entrepreneurs challenging Texas’ “titling” law as a violation of free speech rights protected by the First Amendment.

Simply put, IJ’s lawsuit will demonstrate that the First Amendment cannot simply be brushed aside by states seeking to promote the anti-competitive interests of the interior design cartel.