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…

Kavanaugh Joins Opinion that Helps Ensure FEC Enforcement Actions Remain Free of Bias

August 13, 2018   •  By IFS Staff   •  ,

Hon. Brett Kavanaugh United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (2006-Present) This is the fifth in a series of posts ...

Four Constitutional Red Flags in State Disclosure Laws

August 7, 2018   •  By Luke Wachob   •  ,

The First Amendment protects the right of Americans to associate privately with others. Nonprofits across America have long relied on this right to organize ...

Is Transparency in Government Always Good?

August 7, 2018   •  By Paul Jossey   •  ,

“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.” Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote these words over ...

At 60, the NAACP’s victory for privacy rights must not be forgotten

July 3, 2018   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , , ,

Margaret Mead famously observed that “a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” Yet when we consider the rights that protect ...

The Threat to Privacy of Opinion

June 29, 2018   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Alabama’s political establishment was in a tight spot in the summer of 1956. Public officials were still resisting the command to integrate schools, which ...

NAACP v. Alabama: When “Transparency” Becomes Censorship

June 28, 2018   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , , , ,

The freedom to associate with others and speak as a group is foundational to democracy. Individuals rarely can change their society, government, or laws ...

Americans Support Speech Regulation… If They Are Not Told the Facts Surrounding It

May 18, 2018   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , , ,

Last week, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), a news outlet biased in favor of greater political speech regulation, touted recent polling by the ...

From Washington to Wisconsin, States Are Punishing Dissent

May 11, 2018   •  By Alex Cordell   •  , ,

Just over a year ago, after the Trump administration gave the green light to move forward with construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, an ...

Analysis of “Online Electioneering Transparency and Accountability Act” (Maryland H.B. 981)

April 5, 2018   •  By Eric Wang   •  , , , ,

The Institute for Free Speech provides the following analysis of H.B. 981, which currently awaits a concurrence vote in the House of Delegates. Despite ...

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