Litigation
The Institute defends the freedoms of speech and of the press through strategic litigation designed to have a meaningful impact on the law, on public policy, and on public opinion. We litigate cases that have the potential to establish important new legal principles concerning the system of free expression, to influence the practices of powerful actors in that system, and to raise public awareness about contemporary structural threats to that system. We focus especially on complex and challenging cases that relate to new technology, including new communications platforms, and we favor cases that afford us the opportunity to draw on insights generated by our research program.
Our litigation prioritizes cases in our three focus areas, Free Speech & Social Media, Transparency & Democracy, and Privacy & Surveillance.
Featured
NetChoice, LLC v. Attorney General, State of Florida
Eleventh Circuit case challenging new laws regulating social media platforms
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Quick Take
Why Republican Attorneys General are Wrong About Constitutionality of Proposed SEC Climate Rules
Knight Institute, legal scholars argue First Amendment should be no obstacle to rules
By Ramya Krishnan -
Press Statement
Newly Released Office of Legal Counsel Opinions Shed Light on Nixon Administration’s Effort to Suppress Pentagon Papers and Prosecute Newspapers
Opinions among hundreds published for the first time in response to Knight Institute litigation
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Our Docket
Showing 1–10 of 47
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Federal Bureau of Prisons
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records concerning the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ digitization and surveillance of mail
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Lawsuit
ACLU v. CIA & Knight Institute v. DOD
Three FOIA lawsuits seeking records related to the government censorship system of "prepublication review"
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Xiang
An Eighth Circuit appeal addressing the constitutionality of warrantless electronic device searches at the border
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Lawsuit
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals v. Tabak
A lawsuit challenging health agencies’ practice of blocking social media comments containing keywords associated with viewpoints critical of animal testing
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Amicus Brief
A & R Engineering and Testing, Inc. v. Paxton
A lawsuit challenging Texas’s anti-BDS law
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. CIA
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records on the government’s use of “spyware”
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Amicus Brief
Egbert v. Boule
A Supreme Court case addressing the scope of Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics
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Lawsuit
National Association of Immigration Judges v. Neal
A lawsuit challenging a government policy silencing immigration judges
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Amicus Brief
NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton
Fifth Circuit case challenging new laws regulating social media platforms
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Department of State
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records relating to the Biden administration’s review of the use of social media identifiers in visa vetting