Institute For Free Speech

First Amendment and Campaigns: More Campaign Speech Benefits Voters
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

At the heart of the First Amendment is the assumption that Americans are best served by a full and free discussion of whom to elect. The American system of government sits atop the bedrock of the First Amendment. From the pamphleteering of the founding era to the Facebook ads of today, political campaigns have been premised upon free and open…

2018 May Be the Year of the Political Outsider, No Thanks to Campaign Finance “Reform”
July 18, 2018   •  By Alex Baiocco   •  , , ,

At every level of government, 2018 is experiencing a surge in political outsiders and newcomers running for office. The moment is also notable for ...

Setting the Record Straight: A Response to CLC’s Attacks on Judge Kavanaugh
July 18, 2018   •  By Brad Smith   •  , , , ,

When Justice Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court last month, the Institute for Free Speech conducted a thorough review of the First ...

Judge Amul Thapar Broadly Supportive of the First Amendment
July 3, 2018   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , , ,

Hon. Amul Thapar United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (2017-Present); United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (2008-2017) ...

Markley and Sampson v. SEEC

 CT SEEC Sampson
June 11, 2018   •  By IFS staff   •  , , ,

Can a candidate for the Connecticut General Assembly send a mailer opposing the policies of the governor? That is the question at the center ...

Remembering a major victory for free speech, 40 years later
May 18, 2018   •  By Thomas Wheatley   •  , , ,

A landmark Supreme Court decision marked its 40th birthday late last month. It’s worth celebrating. The case, known as First National Bank of Boston ...

Get Rid of Needless Campaign Regulations
May 2, 2018   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

By Bradley A. Smith In the past decade, 18 states have raised contribution limits. But that means more have not. And almost no states have ...

First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti: Protecting the Right to Hear Others
April 26, 2018   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , , ,

Can the government silence speech about an election simply because the speaker is a corporation? Can it deny voters the opportunity to hear a ...

Curtailing the Cudgel of ‘Coordination’ by Curing Confusion: How States Can Fix What the Feds Got Wrong on Campaign Finance

 Default Article
April 20, 2018   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

Abstract: The theory behind laws prohibiting coordinated communications is intuitive and simple. If a candidate for office, who is subject to statutory limits on ...

Stormy Weather for Campaign-Finance Laws
April 11, 2018   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

When you stretch the law to “get” a political opponent, it’s rarely possible to return the law to its original shape. Which brings us ...

Supreme Court can reinforce free speech with Rod Blagojevich case
April 11, 2018   •  By Thomas Wheatley   •  , , , ,

Five years into his jail sentence for corruption, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is down to his last appeal, now at the U.S. Supreme ...

Load more

Get the Latest Updates

© 2024 Institute for Free Speech | 1150 Connecticut Avenue, NW | Suite 801 | Washington, DC 20036 | 202-301-3300

The word mark Institute for Free Speech® and its logo of a stylized lantern with a flame are federally registered service marks and are owned by the Institute for Free Speech.