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
Francis v. DOJ
A FOIA lawsuit seeking disclosure of Office of Legal Counsel opinions issued over 25 years ago
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Quick Take
When It Comes to Social Media Blocking, Campaign Accounts are Different
Why true campaign accounts may not be First Amendment public forums
By Alyssa Morones & Katie Fallow -
Deep Dive
U.S. Courts Must Stop Shielding Government Surveillance Programs from Accountability
The NSA’s surveillance of Americans’ internet use raises serious constitutional concerns, but the government claims a lawsuit against the program would compromise “state secrets”
By Alex Abdo & Patrick C. Toomey -
Our Docket
Showing 41–48 of 48
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Amicus Brief
Democratic National Committee v. Russian Federation
A lawsuit against WikiLeaks implicating important press freedoms
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Amicus Brief
Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media
A Supreme Court case addressing the scope of FOIA’s exemption for confidential commercial information
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Amicus Brief
Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck
A Supreme Court case involving free speech on private property
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Amicus Brief
Raimondo v. FBI
A Ninth Circuit case addressing the scope of the Privacy Act’s protections for free expression
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Amicus Brief
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. DOJ
A FOIA lawsuit seeking proactive disclosure of the Office of Legal Counsel’s secret legal opinions
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Lawsuit
Davison v. Randall
A lawsuit challenging a local government official’s blocking of a critic on Facebook
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Amicus Brief
Carpenter v. United States
A Supreme Court case challenging warrantless access to cellphone location data
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