Institute For Free Speech

Disclosure: A Threat to Associational Privacy
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS staff  •    •  

Disclosure, in the campaign finance context, refers to laws and regulations requiring candidates and political groups to report information about their activities to the government, which then makes that information available publicly. The required information varies greatly, depending on the affected organization and the local, state, or federal government mandating the disclosure. Disclosure rules fall into two broad categories: disclosure…

In Defense of Private Civic Engagement: Why the Assault on “Dark Money” Threatens Free Speech and How to Stop the Assault
April 20, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

The right to private civic engagement – the right to participate in politics confidentially as an individual or in association with others – is under ...

Amendment Recommendations for California Assembly Bill 594
April 13, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

On behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics (CCP), I write to inform the Committee’s consideration of Assembly Bill 594. As introduced, the bill ...

(Re)Formerly Logical: Mandatory Contracting Disclosure (Cartoon)

 Default Article
April 13, 2015   •  By Joe Trotter   •  ,

  Forcing government bureaucrats to review government contractors’ political ideologies doesn’t help prevent corruption. It simply provides contracting officials with an easy way to ...

Missouri House Bill 188: A Grave Threat to Nonprofits’ Speech
March 27, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , , ,

The Center for Competitive Politics writes to comment on several very serious constitutional and practical problems raised by a vaguely written provision in House ...

Constitutional and Practical Issues with Montana Senate Bill 289
March 17, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

On behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics, I am writing you today to respectfully submit the following comments regarding the constitutional and practical ...

Constitutional and Practical Issues with Minnesota House File 43
March 16, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

If House File 43 becomes law as written, there is a high likelihood that the law will be found unconstitutional if challenged in court. ...

Constitutional and Practical Issues with Minnesota Senate File 214
March 11, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

Various sections of this measure are unconstitutionally vague. Senate File 214 regulates an expansive amount of speech, including books, websites, text messages, and emails. ...

CCP Response to Campaign Legal Center’s Response to CCP’s Comments on New Mexico House Bill 278
March 11, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

In many respects, the competing analyses of CCP and CLC reflect differing views of the First Amendment. While CCP believes that “the First Amendment ...

Does “The Freedom of the Press” Include a Right to Anonymity? The Original Meaning
March 1, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

This Article examines relevant evidence to determine whether, as some have argued, the original legal force of the First Amendment’s “freedom of the press” included a ...

Constitutional and Practical Issues with Arkansas House Bill 1425
February 24, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

House Bill 1425 proposes to regulate speech and creates massive new government reporting requirements for speakers. Many provisions in the bill are unconstitutionally vague ...

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