Texas Equine Dentistry (Second Challenge)

Boone, et al. v. Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, et al.

Independent and self-reliant Texans have been taking care of their horses for a long time without unnecessary government meddling.  But bureaucrats in Austin have concocted a monopolistic licensing scheme that has been well-documented by national outlets such as The Economist as nothing more than an attempt to protect a cartel of state-licensed veterinarians by putting Texas entrepreneurs with the experience and skill to care for horse teeth out of work, while forcing Texas horse owners to pay more for lower quality care.

The Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has refused to publicly defend its recent decision to outlaw horse teeth floating, which had been perfectly legal in Texas until the sudden change in policy by the Board. To challenge that policy, a group of horse owners and equine dental practitioners filed suit in August represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ), a national public interest law firm that promotes economic liberty and the rights of entrepreneurs.  But rather than justify its conduct in court, the Board has engaged in an endless series of delaying tactics.

That is why on April 23, 2008, the Institute for Justice filed a second lawsuit in Travis County District Court on behalf of five new equine dental practitioners.  This new lawsuit seeks to hold the Board accountable for its actions and make clear that handing out monopolies to state-licensed veterinarians to perform a service for which most of them are untrained and ill-equipped is not a proper or legitimate government function.