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Political Parties: Vehicles for Political Association
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

Political parties have been an important actor in American politics since this country’s founding. Parties have been a boon to First Amendment freedoms of political speech and association. They’ve allowed individuals to join together and speak with one voice about the issues of the day. They’ve allowed candidates to associate with a brand and more easily convey their message to…

Free Speech Rights of Publicly Funded Candidates Upheld by Connecticut Supreme Court

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May 20, 2024   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

The decision, years in the making, affirms that candidates have a First Amendment right to discuss issues and policies without fear of penalty for ...

Statement of Bradley A. Smith and David Keating before the 2023 Kansas Special Committee on Governmental Ethics Reform, Campaign Finance Law
October 5, 2023   •  By Brad Smith and David Keating   •  , , , ,

Statement of Bradley A. Smith, Chairman, Institute for Free Speech; Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault Professor of Law, Capital University Law School and ...

Free Speech Index
August 8, 2022   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , , , , , , , , ,

The Institute for Free Speech is pleased to present the Free Speech Index: Grading the 50 States on the Freedom To Speak About Government. ...

Third Parties Are Excluded from the Presidential Debates – And Punished by Campaign Finance Laws
October 22, 2020   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , , ,

It’s not just the debates that advantage major party candidates: The entire campaign finance ecosystem has been purposefully crafted to maintain the two-party duopoly. ...

Presidential Nominating Convention Accounts’ Expenditure Limit: A Cap on Political Expression
September 9, 2020   •  By Heather McGuire   •  , ,

Although the 2020 presidential nominating conventions have concluded, the national parties will be forced to navigate both expected, inflated costs and unexpected costs in ...

Bloomberg (Again) and DNC Show Why Contribution Limits Should be Eliminated
April 1, 2020   •  By Alex Baiocco   •  , ,

In early March, the failed presidential campaign of billionaire Michael Bloomberg added to the reams of evidence that money can’t buy electoral success. In ...

Can the Dead Corrupt Politics?
October 16, 2019   •  By Ryan Morrison   •  , ,

Can a dead man’s unexpected donation corrupt the political process? That’s a question the Supreme Court may answer if it decides to hear the ...

H.R. 1’s Tax-Financing Program Could Increase Political Polarization
January 17, 2019   •  By David Keating   •  , ,

H.R. 1, also known as the “For the People Act of 2019,” is much better understood as the “For the Politicians Act” due to ...

Libertarian National Committee, Inc. v. Federal Election Commission
September 12, 2018   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

The dead cannot ask for favors. And a political committee cannot offer them to the dearly departed. This is especially true when the deceased ...

Bruce Chapman’s Newest Book Shows How the Anti-Speech Lobby has Damaged Citizen Participation in Politics
July 25, 2018   •  By Eric Peterson   •  ,

What kind of people do we want running the government? Former Washington Secretary of State, diplomat, and current Chairman of the Board of the ...

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