Supreme Court: Upholding Free Political Speech

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

Questions about free speech and the First Amendment are often decided at the Supreme Court. Over the years, the Court has dealt with such contentious political speech cases as flag burning, campaign spending limits, and banning political films. While there is typically some disagreement on the Court on any individual case, the Court has long held that for any political…

Seventeen states still criminalize criticism of public officials

October 13, 2023   •  By David Keating   •  , , ,

New Hampshire’s criminal libel law makes intentionally and falsely disparaging another person a misdemeanor if the communication “will tend to expose any other living person ...

Institute for Free Speech Files Amicus Brief in Case Challenging Constitutionality of Criminal Libel Laws

May 5, 2023   •  By Tom Garrett   •  ,

The Institute for Free Speech has filed an amicus brief supporting Frese’s position. As the brief explains, the law of criminal libel raises fears ...

How Overbroad Laws Threaten Free Expression

May 1, 2023   •  By Alec Greven   •  ,

On Monday March 27, 2023, the Supreme Court heard the case United v. Hansen. The issue in the case is how broadly the government ...

The Mirage of Corruption: An Analysis of the Supreme Court’s “Appearance of Corruption” Standard

August 8, 2022   •  By Alec Greven   •  , , ,

The Supreme Court’s landmark Buckley v. Valeo decision laid the foundation for modern campaign finance law in the United States. The decision rests on ...

Important First Amendment Supreme Court Decision Cruises Under the Radar

July 21, 2022   •  By Barnaby Zall   •  , , ,

FEC v. Cruz is a forceful restatement of the Court’s intention to protect political speech and clarifies that governments must justify restrictions with specific ...

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Free Speech: Calling “Bulls***” in Public, IRS Targeting, and Washington Nationals Star Ryan Zimmerman

February 24, 2022   •  By Gary Lawkowski   •  ,

What does calling “bullshit” on instructions from the U.S. Park Police have in common with the IRS targeting of certain nonprofit groups for heightened ...

Ted Cruz vs. Frankenstein’s Monster

January 18, 2022   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

When the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of major portions of the Federal Election Campaign Act in Buckley v. Valeo (1976), it launched what is now ...

Federal Election Commission v. Cruz

December 21, 2021   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

Senator Ted Cruz’s victory over the Federal Election Commission in a loan-repayment case clarified important First Amendment principles. The Institute for Free Speech asked ...

Supreme Court Should Grant Cert, Reaffirm Press Rights for All in Green v. Pierce County

November 16, 2021   •  By Nathan Maxwell   •  , , ,

Should the government control which reporters are allowed to gather and publish news? Of course not – but the state of Washington does. State ...

What AFPF v. Bonta means for nonprofits and donors

October 1, 2021   •  By Brad Smith   •  , , , ,

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in July that California could not require charities and other nonprofit organizations to submit an annual ...

Load more