First Amendment Watch

We've released a first-of-its-kind database tracking strategic lawsuits against public participation, potentially meritless or malicious legal actions that chill speech and deter scrutiny. Check out The SLAPP Back Initiative: slappback.org

The Justice Department filed a new lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, saying its leadership failed to address antisemitism on campus, creating grounds for the government to freeze existing grants and seek repayment for grants already paid.firstamendmentwatch.org/trump-administ…

A reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee who contends she was wrongly held in detention for more than two weeks was released Thursday after paying a bond recently allowed by a judge, her attorneys said.firstamendmentwatch.org/spanish-langua…

The Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman won a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued him over music videos in which he used home security footage to mock their raid of his home. firstamendmentwatch.org/rapper-afroman…

Legislation seeking to curb lawsuits intended to deter public critique and scrutiny died for the second year in a row, with lawmakers citing concerns that the bill was drafted by an out-of-state attorney and “imbalanced.” Read our latest w/ @WyoFile: firstamendmentwatch.org/wyoming-remain…

College Republicans have sued the University of Florida’s president on free speech grounds over the school’s decision to deactivate its chapter after being notified that at least one member engaged in an antisemitic act.firstamendmentwatch.org/college-republ…

The BBC filed a motion Monday asking a U.S. court to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against it, warning that the case could have a “chilling effect” on robust reporting on public figures and events.firstamendmentwatch.org/bbc-asks-us-co…

Through lectures, scoldings and outright threats, President Donald Trump and his aides are ratcheting up the pressure on journalists to cover the war in the Middle East the way the administration wants. firstamendmentwatch.org/trump-team-app…

Organizers of the upcoming “No Kings” rally in Helena say that a new state rule banning permits for weekend rallies on the Capitol grounds violates their First Amendment rights. firstamendmentwatch.org/montana-halts-…

The office that enforces ethics standards for attorneys in the nation’s capital has accused Justice Department official Ed Martin of professional misconduct for a threatening letter that he sent to Georgetown Law School’s dean last year.firstamendmentwatch.org/justice-depart…

Washington state lawmakers were within their rights when they declined to issue press passes to three conservative media figures, a federal judge ruled Tuesday in a case that echoes a national discussion over who qualifies as a journalist.firstamendmentwatch.org/judge-denies-r…

A federal judge in Oregon on Monday restricted federal officers from using tear gas at protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of protesters and freelance journalists.firstamendmentwatch.org/judge-in-orego…

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic is suing to stop the Trump administration from enforcing what it calls an “unlawful campaign of retaliation” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. firstamendmentwatch.org/ai-company-ant…

Two men who brought explosives to a far-right protest outside New York City’s mayoral mansion said they were inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, according to a court complaint.firstamendmentwatch.org/men-who-brough…

Colorado’s Democratic governor, facing a pressure campaign from President Trump, is signaling his openness to granting clemency to a former county clerk who was convicted in a scheme that attempted to find proof of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.firstamendmentwatch.org/colorado-gover…

A federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement on Wednesday of an executive order issued last year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that designates two Muslim groups as foreign terrorist organizations.firstamendmentwatch.org/federal-judge-…

A North Dakota judge has said he will order Greenpeace to pay damages expected to total $345 million in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline from nearly a decade ago, a figure the environmental group contends it cannot pay.firstamendmentwatch.org/judge-says-he-…

A Montana judge has mooted the state’s would-be TikTok ban before it could block a single viral video. firstamendmentwatch.org/the-first-in-t…

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that ExxonMobil can bring a defamation lawsuit against California’s attorney general over comments about the company’s plastic recycling efforts.firstamendmentwatch.org/federal-judge-…

A federal judge permanently barred the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith on his investigation into President Trump’s hoarding of classified documents, a prosecution that was once seen as the most perilous of the four criminal cases he faced.firstamendmentwatch.org/judge-blocks-r…

Some of the biggest players from Meta to TikTok are facing federal and state trials that seek to hold them responsible for harming children’s mental health.firstamendmentwatch.org/social-media-c…