American Civil Liberties Union

Free Speech:
Freedom of speech is protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights and is guaranteed to all Americans. Since 1920, the ACLU has worked to preserve our freedom of speech. Learn more and take action to protect the right to free speech.


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Free Speech : Press Releases

ACLU Marks Fifth Anniversary of Ashcroft Surveillance Guidelines; Report Calls for Guidelines to be Changed to Prevent FBI Abuse (05/29/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today marked the fifth anniversary of the FBI’s 2002 revised Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise and Terrorism Enterprise Investigation with a new report, "History Repeated: The Dangers of Domestic Spying by Federal Law Enforcement."

ACLU Joins With Right-Left Groups To Welcome House Stand on First Amendment (05/25/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union praised the House for passing its version of the lobby reform bill without an amendment that would have infringed upon the First Amendment. The language of a grassroots lobbying amendment introduced by Representatives Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) was considered vague and would have undermined citizen advocacy and activism.

Following NYCLU Lawsuit, New York City Agrees To Reform Film Permit Scheme (05/23/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union hailed a settlement released today, in which New York City has agreed to create, for the first time, written rules governing the issuance of permits for film makers and photographers. Under the new rules, which are to be published Friday in the City Record, film makers and photographers using hand-held equipment no longer will be required to obtain city permits or to have $1 million of insurance.

ACLU Decries Scientific Censorship at Smithsonian (05/23/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today denounced the Smithsonian Institution’s censorship of an Arctic climate change exhibit. Smithsonian scholars watered down a climate change report by scientists, believing it would cause a stir in Congress and the White House.

ACLU of Southern California Settles Free Speech Lawsuit Over Cable TV Censorship (05/22/2007)
LOS ALAMITOS — The Los Alamitos City Council voted unanimously yesterday to settle a lawsuit over its censorship of public-access television programming last year. The city agreed to adopt new policies to protect free speech at Los Alamitos Television Corporation, whose LATV Channel 3 is available to Time Warner customers in Los Alamitos and Rossmoor.

ACLU Hails House Committee’s Stand for Free Speech (05/17/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union congratulated the House Judiciary Committee for rejecting a controversial amendment to lobbying reform legislation at a mark-up hearing today. Representatives Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) tried to attach a provision to the bill that would require registration and regulation of citizen campaigns that encourage the general public to lobby Congress. The ACLU believed the language of the amendment was vague and would undermine advocacy and activism, thereby violating the First Amendment.

New NYPD Documents Show Broad Surveillance of Peaceful Political Activity Before Republican National Convention (05/16/2007)
NEW YORK – The New York Civil Liberties Union today published, at a press conference and on its website, approximately 600 pages of NYPD intelligence documents that detail a major—and often unlawful—police surveillance operation of political activity preceding the Republican National Convention in 2004.

City of Fort Lauderdale Settles After Unconstitutional Ordinance Banning Free Speech is Struck Down (05/16/2007)
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida's Broward Chapter welcomed Federal Judge K. Michael Moore's ruling in favor of the ACLU and other coalition partners on Fort Lauderdale's unconstitutional ordinance that attempted to stifle free speech. The May 14, 2007 order, which grants the parties settlement, follows an order directing the City to no longer enforce the ordinance.

In Victory for Free Expression, NYCLU and Restaurateur Send Uncensored Postcards Through U.S. Postal Service (05/15/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union joined renowned restaurateur Jean-Claude Baker on Tuesday to give a triumphant send-off to a batch of postcards that have been the subject of a free speech battle between Baker and the United States Postal Service.

Diverse Coalition Announces Support for Net Neutrality Legislation in Maine (05/08/2007)
PORTLAND – The Maine Civil Liberties Union and other free speech advocates today joined state business leaders and computer professionals to call on the Maine Legislature to keep the Internet neutral and protect the freedom of individuals and small companies to post content online. The coalition is urging legislators to pass a bill known as “An Act to Protect Network Neutrality,” or LD 1675.

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