Institute for Free Speech

10/20/2026

Infringing on free speech is expensive. Silencing our client Nicholas Blanchard during public comments just cost the Augusta Board of Education $50,000.

Read our new press release on the fee payment in Blanchard v. Augusta Board of Education:

10/14/2026

“The government, as a requirement of getting corporate existence, could say that you can’t speak about politics,” said Institute Senior Attorney Owen Yeates at yesterday's hearing. “That’s a terrifying idea.”

Learn more about our ongoing lawsuit on behalf of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to protect collective speech and challenge Hawaii's Act 11, via Courthouse News Service:

A federal judge said she’s inclined to reject the state’s bid to dismiss a free market think tank's challenge to Act 11.

10/13/2026

Americans have both the freedom to speak and the freedom to assemble. We don't lose our freedoms when we join with others and pool resources. Read the opinion piece from Institute for Free Speech Director of External Relations Tiffany Donnelly on the alarming attempts to muzzle collective speech and how the Institute is fighting back, via Washington Examiner:

"Corporate power" laws that strip nonprofit organizations' charters threaten people's First Amendment right to speak and organize freely.

10/09/2026

Institute for Free Speech Senior Attorney Owen Yeates spoke at the recent The Federalist Society panel "Corporate Speech in the Crosshairs: New Frontiers in First Amendment Law" to discuss the troubling efforts to thwart corporate expression through litigation, legislation, and administrative action. Watch the full panel here:

10/07/2026

Can the government withhold arts funding based on viewpoint? Listen to our new Free Speech Arguments podcast spotlighting Rhode Island Latino Arts v. National Endowment for the Arts before the 1st Circuit:

Rhode Island Latino Arts v. National Endowment for the Arts, argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on October 7, 2026.

10/06/2026

Our new Free Speech Arguments podcast episode asks if the government can retaliate by investigating and taking other actions to punish a news rating service. Listen to NewsGuard Technologies, Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission, et al. before the D.C. Circuit now:

NewsGuard Technologies, Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission, et al., argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on October 6, 2026.

09/23/2026

Our new Supreme Court amicus brief asks the court to consider the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment in Jouppi v. Alaska.

The Excessive Fines Clause has deep historical roots protecting free expression, as fines were used to punish political critics, pamphleteers, and religious dissenters, and remains vital today. In a modern campaign finance context, the burden of unnecessary disclosures and reporting can deter political participation due to the threat of harsh penalties.

Read our brief:

The Institute for Free Speech filed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm that the Constitution prohibits the government from imposing excessive fines.

09/23/2026

Advocates of greater regulation of election campaign speech claim that such regulation is a shield to protect the democratic process. In reality, heavy-handed campaign speech laws act as a sword designed to dissuade political participation.

Read the new blog by IFS Research Director Helen Knowles-Gardner on how these laws function as a "sword of Damocles"

Heavy-handed campaign speech laws act as a sword – a sword designed to dissuade participation in politics. That is antithetical to democracy.

09/21/2026

For decades, the First Amendment has protected the rights of individuals, associations, and businesses to participate in public debate on matters of public concern. Yet a growing number of governments are seeking to restrict corporate speech.

Register for the upcoming The Federalist Society webinar, featuring IFS Sr. Attorney Owen Yeates and other experts to learn more about this alarming trend:

For decades, the First Amendment has protected the rights of individuals, associations, and business...

09/18/2026

A year-long fight over public comment time has ended with a resounding victory for free speech. A federal court has entered consent judgment permanently barring the Augusta School Board from reviving the speech policy it used to silence Nicholas "Corn Pop" Blanchard.

Read our release to learn more:

Federal court enters consent judgment permanently barring Augusta (ME) School Board from reviving the speech policy it used to silence Nicholas “Corn Pop” Blanchard.