Institute For Free Speech

Disclosure: A Threat to Associational Privacy
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS staff  •    •  

Disclosure, in the campaign finance context, refers to laws and regulations requiring candidates and political groups to report information about their activities to the government, which then makes that information available publicly. The required information varies greatly, depending on the affected organization and the local, state, or federal government mandating the disclosure. Disclosure rules fall into two broad categories: disclosure…

No Evidence of Scandal at ActBlue
October 14, 2020   •  By David Keating   •  ,

Take Back Action Fund recently peddled a so-called “preliminary computer analysis” of contributions made through ActBlue, arguing that ActBlue is misreporting donor information. ActBlue ...

Celebrate Constitution Day by Protecting Anonymous Speech
September 17, 2020   •  By Tiffany Donnelly   •  , ,

Today marks the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. As we commemorate September 17, 1787 as the end of the drafting ...

Cancel culture and speech regulation make a toxic mix
September 15, 2020   •  By David Keating   •  , , , ,

This piece originally appeared in the Washington Examiner on September 15, 2020.   What do Steven Pinker, David Frum, Margaret Atwood, and Noam Chomsky have ...

CREW v. FEC’s Impact on Independent Expenditures and Donor Privacy, Explained
September 3, 2020   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Until then, the D.C. Circuit’s opinion in CREW v. FEC should not be read as requiring forced disclosure of all donors to nonprofit groups, ...

Political Giving Should Be Private
August 26, 2020   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

This piece originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal on August 26, 2020.   A third of Americans fear being fired for their political beliefs. ...

Why a Culture of Free Expression Demands Tolerance
August 10, 2020   •  By Alec Greven   •  , , ,

While free societies need legal protections for speech, laws are only as effective as the cultural influences that safeguard them. Our society needs both ...

You Can’t Protect First Amendment Rights Without Protecting Privacy
August 3, 2020   •  By Alec Greven   •  , , ,

If we want more speech and association in our society (and we should), then we need to focus on bringing down the costs for ...

Analysis of the “Judicial Ads Act” (S. 4183)
July 29, 2020   •  By Eric Wang   •  , ,

The Judicial Ads Act furthers no apparent legitimate disclosure interest – whether as the campaign finance bill it purports to be or as a ...

Hysteria Over PPP Loans to Trump Donors Makes Great Case for Private Giving
July 21, 2020   •  By Nathan Maxwell   •  , ,

While some may have faith in disclosure laws’ ability to pinpoint instances of favoritism, despite the lack of evidence that such laws improve perceptions ...

A Victory for Free Speech at the IRS
June 16, 2020   •  By Ryan Morrison   •  , , ,

The IRS recently amended its nonprofit donor reporting rules to protect the identities of contributors. From now on, nonprofits (except for 501(c)(3) charities and ...

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