Free Speech Index

The Institute for Free Speech is pleased to present the Free Speech Index: A first-of-its-kind analysis of laws restricting speech about government in all ...

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 ...

Money’s Not Enough: The Stories Behind 2020 U.S. House Primary Money-Upsets

May 16, 2022   •  By Nathan Maxwell   •  ,

PDF available here Introduction As the 2022 midterm elections approach, we’ll no doubt see media pundits aiming to predict who will win based on ...

Anti-SLAPP Statutes: A Report Card

February 28, 2022   •  By Dan Greenberg & David Keating   •  ,

Anti-SLAPP statutes prevent abuse of the legal system by providing additional defenses to those who are sued for exercising their First Amendment rights. The ...

Issue Analysis No. 12: Did Citizens United Harm Political Participation?

September 20, 2021   •  By Alec Greven   •  , , ,

When the Supreme Court decided Citizens United v. FEC in 2010, many critics argued it would have a devastating impact on democracy. This analysis ...

Issue Analysis No. 11: Do Out-of-State Donations Lead to Electoral Success?

July 21, 2021   •  By Nathan Maxwell   •  , ,

This study suggests that out-of-state campaign donations are not as indicative of potential election outcomes as in-state dollars may be. Efforts to limit out-of-state ...

Has Citizens United Increased Corruption? An Examination of Public Corruption Prosecutions

September 3, 2020   •  By Alec Greven   •  , , ,

Ten years after the Citizens United decision, this report asks if opponents' claims that increased speech through independent expenditures would lead to increased corruption ...

A Survey of Campaign Finance and Lobbying Laws in the 50 States, District of Columbia, New York City, and Seattle

March 19, 2019   •  By Eric Wang   •  , , , , ,

The Institute for Free Speech (“IFS”) has reviewed the laws in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, New York City, and Seattle regulating ...

Free Speech Index – Grading the 50 States on Political Giving Freedom

March 2, 2018   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Foreword by Chairman Bradley A. Smith and President David Keating On behalf of the Institute for Free Speech, we are pleased to present Part ...

Issue Analysis No. 10: Do Taxpayer-Funded Campaigns Increase Political Competitiveness?

June 7, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

The Institute's tenth issue analysis examines the claim by proponents of taxpayer-funded political campaigns that such systems improve the political process by exposing incumbent ...

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