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Former Ambassador Joe Wilson talks about the Bush administration's efforts to stifle free speech

Satellite Beach Police Officer Unlawfully Arrested Woman Violating Her Free Speech, ACLU Sues (09/29/2008)
SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today announced it filed suit on behalf of Kimberly Bock, who was unlawfully arrested and prosecuted for using profanity in the presence of two Satellite Beach police officers. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on Friday, September 26. The judge hearing the criminal case against her threw it out of court, noting that the law is clear: using profanity alone cannot be cause for arrest.

ACLU Asks Virginia Police Chiefs to Train Personnel on the Rights of Persons Who Register Voters (09/24/2008)
Richmond, VA – The ACLU of Virginia is mailing letters today to every police chief in Virginia - 185 in all - asking each to immediately initiate programs to educate local law enforcement personnel on the right of individuals to engage in door-to-door voter registration drives.

New FBI Guidelines Open Door to Further Abuse (09/12/2008)
Washington, DC - Following a briefing today at the Department of Justice (DOJ), the American Civil Liberties Union reiterated its deep concern over new guidelines that would govern FBI investigations. The new guidelines would lower standards for beginning "assessments" (precursors to investigations), conducting surveillance and gathering evidence, and would replace existing guidelines for five types of existing guidelines: general criminal, national security, foreign intelligence, civil disorders and demonstrations.

Virginia Supreme Court Rules State Anti-SPAM Law Violates Free Speech by Curtailing Non-commercial Political Speech (09/12/2008)
Richmond, VA - The Supreme Court of Virginia today struck down a Virginia law banning unsolicited bulk emails, or SPAM, on grounds that the law is overly broad, criminalizing not only commercial SPAM but anonymous non-commercial bulk emails containing political and religious messages.

ACLU Responds To Arrest Of ABC Reporter In Denver (08/28/2008)
DENVER – Following news reports and a video showing Denver law enforcement agents ordering a reporter off a public sidewalk and pushing him into the street and later arresting him, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Colorado called for renewed protection of the First Amendment guarantees of free speech and a free press.

ENACTING A REASONABLE FEDERAL SHIELD LAW: A REPLY TO PROFESSORS CLYMER AND ELIASON (07/01/2008)
These days, it can be difficult to read a newspaper without seeing a story of another journalist subpoenaed to identify a confidential source. From Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada to Judith Miller and Jim Taricani, many reporters are becoming known more for the court proceedings against them than they are for the stories they write. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter James Risen, who broke the story on the Bush Administration’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program, is the latest casualty.2 Instead of reporting the news, journalists have become the news.

Reclaiming Our Rights: Declaration of First Amendment Rights and Grievances (09/01/2007)

Publish and Perish: The Need for a Federal Reporters' Shield Law (03/14/2007)
The need for a federal reporters' shield law today is urgent. Efforts by the press to fulfill its role of exposing government abuses of power and unlawful acts are met with subpoenas, criminal charges, and lengthy prison terms.

Freedom of Expression (10/31/2005)

Urge Your Senators to Defend Political Free Speech (04/27/2005)

ACLU v. Department of Justice - Complaint (07/01/2008)

In re Bilski and Warsaw - ACLU Amicus Brief (04/03/2008)

Motion to Intervene in Bank Julius Baer v. Wikileaks (02/27/2008)

Amici Curiae appeal brief in Minnesota v. Craig (01/15/2008)

Craig v. State of Minnesota - Amicus Brief - Court of Appeals (01/15/2008)

ACLU Letter to Senator Specter Expressing Support for Free Speech Protection Act of 2008 (09/17/2008)
On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), its more than half a million members, countless additional activists and supporters, and fifty-four affiliates nationwide, we write in strong support of S. 2977, the Free Speech Protection Act of 2008. This bill would address the growing problem of libel tourism, whereby individuals seek libel judgments in foreign countries where libel laws do not have the same free speech protections as in the U.S.

ACLU, TLP, and ACLU of PA Comments Before FCC Re: Hearing on Broadband and the Digital Future (07/21/2008)
The ACLU, Technology and Liberty Project of the ACLU, and the ACLU of Pennsylvania have been principal participants in many of the important Internet censorship and neutrality cases decided by the United States Supreme Court in the past two decades, including Reno v. ACLU, Ashcroft v. ACLU, Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, and the Brand X decision, in which the Court held that cable companies providing broadband Internet access were “information service providers” for purposes of regulation by the FCC under the Communications Act. The ACLU of Pennsylvania was co-counsel in two of the leading Internet decisions, Reno v. ACLU and Ashcroft v. ACLU. Last year, the ACLU of Pennsylvania obtained relief in the Ashcroft litigation that permanently enjoined the Child Online Protection Act (“COPA”).

Coalition Sign-On Letter Opposing the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (05/15/2008)

ACLU Comments before the FCC regarding Broadband Industry Practices (04/17/2008)
The ACLU, Technology and Liberty Project of the ACLU, and ACLU of Northern California support the underlying petitions and urge the Commission to find in favor of Petitioners by upholding concepts of accessibility and non-discrimination in the provision of text messaging and short code services and in the delivery of broadband services.

ACLU Letter to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Leadership Regarding S.J. Res 28, Disapproving of the Rule Submitted by the Federal Communications Commission with Respect to Broadcast Media Ownership (04/01/2008)

Freedom of Information Act Request to the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (11/29/2007)
FOIA request filed in response to recent reports that reveal that United States Attorneys Offices ("USAOs") are assisting law enforcement officers in obtaining information from mobile carriers that enables officers to track the location of individuals' mobile phones.

Freedom of Information Act Request to the Drug Enforcement Agency (11/29/2007)
FOIA request filed in response to reports that law enforcement officers from the DEA are obtaining information from mobile phone carriers that enables officers to track the location of individuals' mobile phones.

An Evening Without... (04/13/2006)
Writers who are currently or have been banned from the U.S. will have their work read by Martin Amis, Russell Banks, Gioconda Belli, Barbara Goldsmith, Naomi Shihab Nye, Liev Schreiber, Todd Solondz, Eloy Urroz, Debra Winger and others.

Oppose HJ Res 10, the Constitutional Amendment on Flag Desecration (06/09/2005)

Support Free Expression on Cable Television and the Internet PDF (04/05/2005)

FAQs on Reporter Shield Laws (05/28/2008)

Additional Statements of Leslie Weise and Alex Young (11/21/2005)

Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC (11/21/2005)
Whether the ACLU can be barred from broadcasting advertisements prior to an election that name a federal candidate, even though the ACLU has never taken a position on an election in its 85-year history. DECIDED