Free Speech
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida v. Raymond Rodrigues
The University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine filed a lawsuit on November 16, 2023, challenging the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida’s order to state universities to deactivate the student group. This order threatens the students’ constitutionally-protected right to free speech and association in violation of the First Amendment. The ACLU and its partners are seeking a preliminary injunction that would bar the Chancellor and the University of Florida from deactivating the UF SJP.
Status: Ongoing
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U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2023
Free Speech
Molina v. Book
Whether police officers violated clearly established First Amendment rights when they tear-gassed plaintiffs for serving as legal observers in a public protest.
U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2023
Free Speech
O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed
The ACLU, the ACLU of Northern California, and the ACLU of Southern California filed amicus briefs in support of everyday people fighting for government transparency and accountability in two cases set for review by the U.S. Supreme Court this Term: O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jan 2021
Free Speech
Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.
On September 25, 2017, the ACLU-PA filed suit on behalf of B.L., a high school sophomore who has been cheerleading since she was in fifth grade and was expelled from the team as punishment for out-of-school speech.
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156 Free Speech Cases
Court Case
Oct 2023
Free Speech
United States v. Trump (Amicus Brief)
The ACLU & ACLU-DC submitted an amicus brief in United States v. Trump arguing that a gag order restricting court participants' speech must be precisely defined and narrowly tailored to prohibit imminent threats against individuals or conduct that would interfere with the impartial administration of justice.
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Court Case
Oct 2023
Free Speech
United States v. Trump (Amicus Brief)
The ACLU & ACLU-DC submitted an amicus brief in United States v. Trump arguing that a gag order restricting court participants' speech must be precisely defined and narrowly tailored to prohibit imminent threats against individuals or conduct that would interfere with the impartial administration of justice.
Court Case
Oct 2023
Free Speech
Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
This case concerns whether the SEC, by approving the board diversity rule of the private securities exchange Nasdaq, violated provisions of federal law or the Constitution. Because a self-regulated private actor’s rule does not constitute state action and the board diversity rule was well-supported, it did not.
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Court Case
Oct 2023
Free Speech
Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
This case concerns whether the SEC, by approving the board diversity rule of the private securities exchange Nasdaq, violated provisions of federal law or the Constitution. Because a self-regulated private actor’s rule does not constitute state action and the board diversity rule was well-supported, it did not.
Texas
Sep 2023
Free Speech
Free Speech Coalition v. Colmenero
Texas H.B. 1181, if allowed to go into effect, will impermissibly burden access to protected online speech by requiring users to verify their ages before accessing legal adult content online. The law will also unconstitutionally compel websites that carry lawful, fully protected sexual material to post “disclosure” statements reflecting Texas’s views about pornography.
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Texas
Sep 2023
Free Speech
Free Speech Coalition v. Colmenero
Texas H.B. 1181, if allowed to go into effect, will impermissibly burden access to protected online speech by requiring users to verify their ages before accessing legal adult content online. The law will also unconstitutionally compel websites that carry lawful, fully protected sexual material to post “disclosure” statements reflecting Texas’s views about pornography.
Idaho
Aug 2023
Free Speech
Idaho Federation of Teachers v. Labrador
This lawsuit challenged an Idaho statute that purports to criminalize the use of any public funds to “promote abortion” or “counsel in favor of abortion.” We argued that the law violates the First Amendment by restricting academic speech about abortion by faculty at Idaho’s public universities, and that the law is unconstitutionally vague.
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Idaho
Aug 2023
Free Speech
Idaho Federation of Teachers v. Labrador
This lawsuit challenged an Idaho statute that purports to criminalize the use of any public funds to “promote abortion” or “counsel in favor of abortion.” We argued that the law violates the First Amendment by restricting academic speech about abortion by faculty at Idaho’s public universities, and that the law is unconstitutionally vague.
Arkansas
Jul 2023
Free Speech
NetChoice v. Griffin
Arkansas’s so-called “Social Media Safety Act” stifles freedom of expression online by requiring users to verify their ages and, if under 18, obtain explicit parental consent before using social media.
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Arkansas
Jul 2023
Free Speech
NetChoice v. Griffin
Arkansas’s so-called “Social Media Safety Act” stifles freedom of expression online by requiring users to verify their ages and, if under 18, obtain explicit parental consent before using social media.