Home : Privacy & Technology : Internet Free Speech

New York Courtroom Gets Wired As Groups Present Evidence In Challenge to State Cyber-Censorship Law (04/03/1997)
In a courtroom hearing opening today on a challenge to a state Internet censorship law, an expert witness will conduct a live Internet demonstration and plaintiffs will testify that their speech has already been "chilled" by the threat of criminal prosecution.

Statement of the National Writers Union (03/19/1997)
By our constitution, "The National Writers Union is committed to freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression in all media, including print, film, and electronic media of any sort." Among writers organizations, we were the first to recognize the power and promise of electronic communication.

EPIC: "Supreme Court Internet Decision Will Have a Profound Impact on Individual Privacy Rights" (03/19/1997)
The U.S. Supreme Court's consideration of Reno v. ACLU sets the stage for a decision of historic significance, one that will establish a constitutional framework for reviewing government regulation of the Internet. The issues extend beyond the Communications Decency Act and go to the very essence of the information infrastructure.

Supreme Court Hears Arguments Today on the Future of Free Speech in Cyberspace (03/19/1997)
Press Release announcing arguments in the battle over the Communications Decency Act

BiblioBytes: ACLU Supreme Court FAQ for ACLU v. Reno I (03/19/1997)
BiblioBytes became a plaintiff in ACLU v. Reno in order to protect the constitutional right to publish literature freely. In becoming plaintiffs, we were placed at ground zero of the culture clash between some of the most virulent ideologies of the past millennium.

SCA files Amicus brief with Supreme Court in CDA case (03/19/1997)
The Speech Communication Association (SCA) today filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Reno et al. v. ACLU et al. This case challenges the constitutionality of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which was enacted by the 103rd Congress, signed by President Clinton, and immediately challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American Library Association (ALA).

ANA Urges Supreme Court to Strike Down CDA (02/20/1997)
The Association of National Advertisers, Inc. (ANA) today urged the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) as an unconstitutional, content-based restriction on fully protected speech.

ACLU Sends Supreme Court Passionate Defense Of Free Speech in Cyberspace (02/20/1997)
Saying that the Internet has "no parallel in the history of human communication," the American Civil Liberties Union today sent the U.S. Supreme Court a passionate defense of free speech and urged the Justices to prohibit government censorship of the Internet in Reno v. ACLU I

Groups Present Evidence In First Challenge to State Cyber-Censorship Law (01/30/1997)
In a courtroom hearing this morning on the first-ever challenge to a state Internet censorship statute, a witness will conduct a live tour of the Internet for a federal district judge.

Government's Brief Asserts Unprecedented Powers to Criminalize Online Speech; Court Sets Oral Argument for March 19 (01/22/1997)
After reviewing the Justice Department's brief on the Communications Decency Act filed late yesterday with the U.S. Supreme Court, the ACLU said that the government is seeking unprecedented powers to criminalize speech on the Internet.

Supreme Court to Review Landmark Decision Barring Internet Censorship (12/06/1996)
The Supreme Court's decision to review Reno v. ACLU comes as no surprise, considering that this is an important case challenging an important federal statute.

ACLU Asks Court to Affirm Landmark Decision Barring Internet Censorship (10/31/1996)
The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to affirm a lower court decision rejecting as unconstitutional government censorship of the Internet.

ACLU Background Briefing - Reno v. ACLU: The Road to the Supreme Court (10/31/1996)
Following a landmark victory in June for free speech rights in cyberspace, ACLU v. Reno now awaits Supreme Court action. ACLU v. Reno (or Reno v. ACLU as the case will now be known in the Supreme Court) represents the first legal challenge to censorship provisions of the Communications Decency Act (CDA).

Groups Challenge Georgia Law Restricting Free Speech in Cyberspace (09/24/1996)
The American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontiers Georgia, Georgia State Representative Mitchell Kaye and others today filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction against a Georgia statute restricting free speech in cyberspace.

Global Alert: Hysteria in the UK Threatens Free Speech on the Net (09/12/1996)
Much has been written associating the Internet with those who make and distribute child porn, and there have been many attempts to hold ISPs responsible for objectionable or illegal content.

Government to Appeal ACLU v. Reno Decision Protecting Free Speech in Cyberspace; ACLU Encouraged by Supreme Court Ruling on Cable "Indecency" (06/28/1996)
ACLU v. Reno, the challenge to censorship provisions of the Communications Decency Act, is headed for the Supreme Court. In a brief letter to Senator James Exon (D-Nebraska) -- who introduced the law -- Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick confirmed that the government planned to appeal the June 12 federal court ruling that censorship provisions of the CDA are unconstitutionally vague and a violation of the First Amendment right of free speech.

ACLU Lauds Judges' Ruling Protecting Free Speech in Cyberspace (06/12/1996)
In a resounding victory for First Amendment rights everywhere, a three-judge panel in federal district court in Philadelphia today struck down a law that would criminalize free speech in cyberspace.

Decision Tomorrow in ACLU v. Reno: Will Justice Prevail? (06/11/1996)
A federal three-judge panel has announced that it will rule tomorrow morning in ACLU v. Reno, the landmark challenge to censorship in cyberspace.

At Closing Arguments, ACLU Calls on Court to Protect Free Speech in Cyberspace (05/10/1996)
A three-judge panel heard closing arguments today regarding a law that would criminalize free speech in cyberspace. Plaintiffs and defendants each had approximately two hours to make their case and answer questions from the judges.

Closing Arguments Scheduled for Friday in Landmark Challenge to Internet Censorship Law (05/08/1996)
Wrapping up five days of courtroom testimony before a three-judge panel in federal district court in Philadelphia , the ACLU will present closing arguments this Friday, May 10, in the trial that will determine the future of free speech in cyberspace.