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
Doc Society v. Pompeo
A lawsuit challenging the State Department’s social media registration requirement
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Analysis
How Should Politicians Use Social Media?
Tips for protecting an individual’s right to participate in digital town halls
By Katie Fallow -
Analysis
New Documents Point to Special Treatment for Favored Officials
Includes correspondence in which former senior officials pressure agencies reviewing their manuscripts
By Meenakshi Krishnan -
Analysis
John Bolton's Silence
How Bolton could publicly share his story
By Jameel Jaffer & Ramya Krishnan
Our Docket
Showing 11–20 of 31
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Amicus Brief
Campbell v. Reisch
A lawsuit challenging a state representative’s blocking of a critic on Twitter
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Lawsuit
Francis v. DOJ
A FOIA lawsuit seeking disclosure of Office of Legal Counsel opinions issued over 25 years ago
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Lawsuit
Freedom of the Press Foundation v. DOJ
A FOIA lawsuit for records concerning the surveillance of journalists
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Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. DHS
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records on ideological screening at the border
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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
National Veterans Legal Services Program v. United States
A lawsuit challenging fees the federal judiciary charges for access to court records
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Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. DHS
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records relating to searches of electronic devices at the U.S. border
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Lawsuit
Knight Institute and Committee to Protect Journalists v. CIA
A FOIA lawsuit for records concerning the U.S. government's "duty to warn" journalist Jamal Khashoggi
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Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Trump
A lawsuit challenging President Trump's blocking of critics on Twitter
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