Supreme Court Declines Online Free Speech Case

WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union condemned a bill that passed today in the U.S. House of Representatives threatening to censor educators nationwide and compelling them to out transgender students against their will. Relying on the definitions advanced by a Trump administration executive order that has already censored government workers, doctors, scientists, artists, and historical records, H.R. 2616 would prohibit any school that receives federal funding from teaching “concepts related to gender ideology.” It could also forcibly out students who are transgender to their families before they feel ready or even safe doing so. “Every child in this country deserves the same opportunity to thrive as their peers, and that includes transgender students,” said Mike Zamore, National Director for Policy & Government Affairs for the ACLU. “Instead of strengthening that basic promise for all students, a narrow majority of the House opted to single out and endanger some of the most vulnerable youth in our schools today. This bill doesn’t create a safe learning environment for anyone – quite the opposite -- but it does inject politics into every classroom across the country, which harms education for all students. Censorship and discrimination have no place in our schools, and we call on the Senate to reject this bill.” The ACLU urged members of the House to vote against the bill and scored today’s vote.

Targeting Southern Poverty Law Center, a major civil rights organization, is the Trump administration's latest effort to punish groups it doesn't like.

This case asks whether an online business review constitutes speech about “a matter of public concern” that warrants protection under Minnesota’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act. We argue that it does because such reviews typically seek to inform the public and help consumers select goods and services. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the statutory and constitutional speech rights of Minnesotans, including consumers and other individuals who may face the threat of defamation suits for expressing their views in public.

Hundreds of people across the country have faced retaliation for exercising their First Amendment right to record ICE and other federal agents deployed in their communities.