American Civil Liberties Union : Free Speech

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.

Protest and the President
For years, the ACLU has fought the White House policy of shielding the president from dissent. The First Amendment protects the right to free speech, but that right is undermined if protesters can't be heard. More >>
> WV: ACLU Calls Government Settlement in Anti-Bush T-Shirt Case a Victory for Free Speech
> CO: White House Staffers Sued for Ejecting Denver Residents from Bush Event
> NM: Protestors Should be Seen and Heard

FCC v. Fox Television Stations and "Fleeting Expletives"
The ACLU has filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of several creative arts, media and free speech organizations criticizing the Federal Communication Commission's regulation of "indecent speech" as arbitrary, inconsistent, and irreconcilable with core First Amendment values. More >>

Federal Court Upholds Ban on Internet Censorship Law
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a federal district court decision that the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Read the decision >>

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Federal Court Upholds Exclusion Of Denver Residents From Bush Speech Based On Political Expression (11/7/2008)
DENVER – In a blow to free speech, a federal district court judge found that no constitutional rights were violated when Leslie Weise and Alex Young were ejected from one of President Bush's speeches in Denver in March 2005. The lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Colorado, charged that Weise and Young, two of the so-called "Denver 3," were ejected simply because they arrived at the event in a car with the bumper sticker reading "No More Blood For Oil."

ACLU Releases Presidential Transition Plan To Restore Civil Liberties (10/27/2008)
WASHINGTON – In anticipation of the presidential election, the American Civil Liberties Union today released a set of detailed recommendations on steps that the new president should take to “clean house,” renew freedom, and restore the nation’s reputation.

Florida Student Who Won ACLU Lawsuit Wins Hugh M Hefner First Amendment Award (10/21/2008)
MIAMI – The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that Heather Gillman has been selected by the Playboy Foundation to receive the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for "her fearlessness in speaking out on behalf of the rights of gay students" at Ponce de Leon High School, located in Florida's Panhandle.

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