Campus Speech Module: Limits to Free Speech

Teach incoming students about when speech crosses the line and loses First Amendment protection. This module focuses primarily on defining and providing examples of harassment, true threats, intimidation, and other unlawful conduct. With this knowledge, students can more accurately gauge when their speech, or their peers’ speech, may be impermissible or may result in violations of others’ rights.

Campus Speech Module: Campus Speakers and Counter Protests

When controversial speakers are brought to campus, students often have questions about why such speakers are allowed to have a platform and how to respond productively to speakers they disagree with. This module covers topics such as viewpoint neutrality in administrative decision-making, freedom of association for student groups, counter-protests, and other methods of dissent.

Campus Speech Module: Academic Freedom and Classroom Speech

The principles behind academic freedom are important for students to understand in any college classroom. This module covers the importance of academic freedom in higher education, the rights of faculty, and how students can handle disagreements with their professors. The module also lays out the framework for a faculty-led panel on academic freedom.

Appeals Court Rejects Request to Review Trump Twitter Case

"The critical question in this case is not the nature of the Account when it was set up a decade ago. The critical question for First Amendment purposes is how the President uses the Account in his capacity as President," Judge Barrington Parker wrote.

First Amendment Watch and FIRE Launch Campus Free Speech Orientation Program

First Amendment Watch and FIRE are proud to launch a freshman orientation program aimed at teaching incoming college students about their free speech rights on campus. We've developed a series of modules for universities to utilize during freshman orientation, first-year seminars, and other campus programming to teach new college students about their rights and about common free speech issues they may encounter during their time in school

Limitations on Gathering Size to Slow Spread of Coronavirus Prompt First Amendment Questions

A group of residents in New Hampshire sued their government following limitations on large gatherings meant to slow the spread of coronavirus. Civil liberties experts explain why these restrictions, even when they affect political or religious gatherings, are likely to be upheld in court. 

Director Ava DuVernay and Netflix Sued for Defamation

On March 18th, Linda Fairstein, the former head of Manhattan District Attorney’s Sex Crime unit, sued Netflix director Ava DuVernay, and co-writer and producer Attica Locke for defamation. The lawsuit, filed in district court in Fort Myers, Florida, claims that DuVernay’s five-part series, “When They See Us,” contains scenes that portray Fairstein “in a false and defamatory manner.”

Florida Works to Keep Official Meetings Accessible Amid COVID-19

Local officials in Florida experiment with digital technologies to ensure public access after the governor suspends law requiring in-person meetings.