IJ Issue
Political Speech
The Institute for Justice opposes censorship and strongly believes that an unfettered marketplace of ideas strengthens political discourse.
- IJ has won major victories at the U.S. Supreme Court and in federal appellate courts. Our 2010 victory in SpeechNow.org v. FEC at the District of Columbia U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down limits on contributions to groups that spend money on independent political speech. This ruling, along with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, was described by the Congressional Research Service in 2011 as among “the most fundamental changes to campaign finance law in decades.”
- In 2016, we launched two new cases in Colorado, including a challenge to the state’s system of private-party enforcement for its campaign finance laws and a state court ruling that would make it much harder—and in some cases impossible—for political speakers to get pro bono legal help. We also filed a new lawsuit against an Alabama law that forces “lobbyists” to take an in-person course before they can speak with state lawmakers.
- IJ’s strategic research team has published numerous empirical studies on campaign finance laws, finding that these regulations stifle debate and burden citizens who want to express themselves through grassroots activism. Our strategic research has played a major role in shifting the terms of the debate on these issues and was even cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett in 2011.
First Amendment Issues
Commercial Speech
The Institute for Justice fights on behalf of entrepreneurs to uphold the deeply American values of free expression and free enterprise.
First Amendment Retaliation
IJ Is Leading the National Fight Against Backdoor Censorship Accomplished Through Government Retaliation Against Speech In many ways, the First Amendment has never been more robust as a…
Occupational Speech
Government officials are increasingly relying on occupational licensing laws to stifle speech and infringe on the right to earn an honest living.
Political Speech
The Institute for Justice opposes censorship and strongly believes that an unfettered marketplace of ideas strengthens political discourse.
Sign Codes
Under the First Amendment, the government cannot play the role of critic and censor messages that it deems disagreeable.
Political Speech Cases
4th Amendment Project | First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Immunity and Accountability | Political Speech | Private Property
East Cleveland’s Government Weaponized its Police to Punish a Political Opponent. He’s Fighting to Hold It Accountable.
Cities can’t use the police to punish political speech.
First Amendment | Political Speech
Recent Court of Appeals Ruling Disarms Political Speakers, Empowers Campaign Finance Bullies
First Amendment | Political Speech
Colorado’s private-enforcement law empowers political insiders to silence any ordinary speaker they disagree with.
First Amendment | Political Speech
MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN SPEECH LIMITS
A Minnesota regulation dishes out First Amendment rights on a first-come, first-served basis.
First Amendment | Political Speech
Protecting Citizen Speech: Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality Of Florida Campaign Finance Regulations Kicks Off Nationwide Campaign
Political Speech News
Public Interest Law Firm Stands With California YIMBY Advocacy Group to Protect First Amendment Rights
SAN FRANCISCO—Sonja Trauss is the executive director of the nonprofit organization YIMBY Law, which stands for “Yes In My Back Yard.” YIMBY Law is an organization dedicated to ending the housing shortage…
U.S. Supreme Court Donor Disclosure Ruling is a Victory for Freedom of Association
Arlington, Virginia—In its final opinion of the 2020-2021 Term, the U.S. Supreme Court today struck down a California requirement that all nonprofits operating in the state turn over a list of their…
IJ Scores an Early Victory Against Qualified Immunity in Texas
This past September, IJ filed a First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of Sylvia Gonzalez, a Castle Hills, Texas, councilmember who was harassed, bullied, and ultimately thrown in jail by political opponents.
Supreme Court Hears Major Donor Privacy Cases
Arlington, Virginia—The U.S. Supreme Court today heard oral argument in the consolidated cases Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (No. 19-251) and Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta (No. 19-255),…
Threat of Nonprofit Donor Harassment Spotlighted in U.S. Supreme Court Case
Institute for Justice files amicus brief to protect donor privacy Arlington, Virginia—Imagine being a supporter of Planned Parenthood living in the Bible Belt, or a supporter of the NRA living in San…
Case Appealed to Supreme Court Seeks to Prevent Widespread Harassment Of Nonprofit Donors
America’s Tradition of Donor Privacy in Jeopardy Arlington, Va.—Can the government demand to know your name and home address merely because you’ve contributed to an organization you believe in? Unless the U.S.
Political Speech Research
First Amendment | Political Speech
Information at the Margin: Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws, Ballot Issues, and Voter Knowledge
All 24 states that permit voters to cast ballots directly on policy matters also require that contributions and expenditures on ballot issue campaigns be disclosed publicly. Scholars assert that information about the financial involvement…
First Amendment | Political Speech
The Public’s Right to Know Versus Compelled Speech: What Does Social Science Research Tell Us About the Benefits and Costs of Campaign Finance Disclosure in Non-Candidate Elections?
The National Conference of State Legislatures has called campaign finance disclosure the most basic form of campaign finance regulation and further notes that “[a]ll states require some level of disclosure from candidates, committees, and…