FIRE

FIRE went to court today in Tennessee to kick off a jury trial defending a student’s right to speak freely online off-campus.

A Tennessee high schooler was suspended for posting satirical memes about his principal on Instagram — even though he posted off-campus and outside school hours.

The memes caused no disruption, yet the school punished him under a social media policy banning images that “embarrass” students or staff or are “unbecoming of a Wildcat,” the school’s mascot.

The school district lifted these policies shortly after FIRE sued. “But the fight isn’t over,” says FIRE Senior Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick. “We won’t rest until the student’s constitutional rights are fully vindicated and the district removes this suspension for good.”

FIRE will continue fighting to ensure the First Amendment protects students’ right to express themselves freely on social media, even when criticizing school officials.

#firstamendment #freespeech #lawsuit #tennessee

1 month ago | [YT] | 108

FIRE

VICTORY! The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today delivered a decisive victory for the First Amendment rights of public university faculty in Reges v. Cauce. Reversing a federal district court’s opinion, the Ninth Circuit held University of Washington officials violated the First Amendment when they punished Professor Stuart Reges for substituting his satirical take on the university’s preferred “land acknowledgment” statement on his syllabus.

On Dec. 8, 2021, Reges criticized land acknowledgment statements in an email to faculty, and on Jan. 3, 2022, he parodied UW’s model statement in his syllabus: “I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington.” Reges’s statement was a nod to John Locke’s philosophical theory that property rights are established by labor.

Represented by FIRE, Reges filed a First Amendment lawsuit in July 2022 challenging the university’s actions, which included a months-long “harassment” investigation. University officials created a competing class, so students wouldn’t have to take a computer science class from someone who didn’t parrot the university’s preferred opinions.

“Today’s opinion is a resounding victory for Professor Stuart Reges and the First Amendment rights of public university faculty,” said FIRE attorney Gabe Walters. “The Ninth Circuit agreed with what FIRE has said from the beginning: Universities can’t force professors to parrot an institution’s preferred political views under pain of punishment.”

Writing for the majority, Circuit Judge Daniel Bress stated: “A public university investigated, reprimanded, and threatened to discipline a professor for contentious statements he made in a class syllabus. The statements, which mocked the university’s model syllabus statement on an issue of public concern, caused offense in the university community. Yet debate and disagreement are hallmarks of higher education. Student discomfort with a professor’s views can prompt discussion and disapproval. But this discomfort is not grounds for the university retaliating against the professor. We hold that the university’s actions toward the professor violated his First Amendment rights.”

That’s exactly right.

“Today’s opinion recognizes that sometimes, ‘exposure to views that distress and offend is a form of education unto itself,’” said FIRE Legal Director Will Creeley. “As we always say at FIRE: If you graduate from college without once being offended, you should ask for your money back.”

#breaking #ltigation #lawsuit #freespeech #firstamendment #victory #landacknowledgement

2 months ago | [YT] | 129

FIRE

Hollywood woke up feeling like Dorothy in Oz — “we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

If the president's cryptic post about tariffs is a swipe at foreign films for “propaganda,” that’s less Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and more Dr. Strangelove — and it’s a First Amendment red flag.

#hollywood #movie #tariff #freespeech #us #politics #whitehouse #trump #potus

9 months ago | [YT] | 24

FIRE

Let’s be clear: The IRS cannot revoke ‪@harvard‬'s tax-exempt status because of President Trump’s ever-escalating, viewpoint-motivated offensive against the university.

Weaponizing the IRS and the tax code to attack the president’s ideological opponents is a dangerous precedent that inevitably will be used by future administrations to penalize any nonprofit whose speech falls out of favor with those in power.

FIRE calls on President Trump to stop jawboning and to follow the law.

#breaking #freespeech #trump #whitehouse #harvard #highered #politics #news

9 months ago | [YT] | 47

FIRE

seek truth, presume goodwill 🔥 #rome #freespeech #quotecard #inspiration #culture

9 months ago | [YT] | 29

FIRE

REGISTER NOW: Join FIRE experts for a webinar today at 1 PM EST on Harvard University's defiant stand against the Trump administration's unlawful demand letter — and what it might mean for free speech and academic freedom on colleges nationwide.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN ➡️ thefire-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_maqXyEGeQq…

#harvard #freespeech #trump #whitehouse #breakingnews #webinar #promo #ytcommunity

10 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 19

FIRE

SHOCKING: A new report from the Washington Free Beacon has found that snitch hotlines for protected speech operate in seven states and five localities, including Philadelphia. Citizens are now encouraged to report non-criminal speech to the police.

This is America. We don’t play Big Brother with protected speech.

Even more concerning is that it’s unclear what some states and localities do with these reports. The fear of ending up in a government database just for saying something that upset or offended another person will reliably lead people to self-censor.

And while often anonymous, localities like Philadelphia and West Chester Co. ask for “offender” names, too. That’s right: the birthplace of American democracy now wants to play Big Brother for people offended by protected speech.

These systems, which include hotlines and online portals, resemble the bias response teams commonplace on college campuses, which allow students to report each other anonymously and without verification.

Let’s be clear about one thing: Leaning on surveillance, snitch lines, and sensitivity training to intimidate the public into submission defies the principles of free speech upon which this nation was founded.

“Exporting campus bias reporting systems to wider society is a disastrous idea,” said FIRE’s Aaron Terr. “When a state policy explicitly calls out ‘offensive jokes,’ it’s past time to worry.”

This shows that what happens on campus doesn't stay on campus.

Read the full story here: freebeacon.com/policy/inside-state-run-bias-respon…

#breaking #news #article #bias #philly #oregon #collegecampus #censorship #totalitarian #democracy

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1 year ago | [YT] | 70

FIRE

As President of the United States, Donald Trump inherits the privilege and obligation to defend free speech and expression as enshrined in the Constitution’s First Amendment.

Here are four things the incoming administration can do to defend free speech for all Americans.

1️⃣ Support the Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act

2️⃣ Address the abuse of campus anti-harassment policies that erode free speech

3️⃣ Rein in government jawboning

4️⃣ Protect First Amendment rights in the regulation of AI technologies

Read FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff’s open letter to the 47th President here: www.thefire.org/research-learn/letter-fire-preside…

#freespeech #ai #politics #news #inauguration #openletter #civilliberties

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1 year ago | [YT] | 48

FIRE

BREAKING! The Supreme Court today ruled that a federal law compelling TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the social media site or cease operations in the United States does not violate the First Amendment. The law functionally requires TikTok to shut down its operations by Jan. 19 absent some other accommodation.

FIRE issued the following statement:

Our unique national commitment to freedom of expression requires more caution than today’s ruling delivers. The unprecedented ban of a communication platform used by 170 million Americans demands strict judicial scrutiny, not the rushed and highly deferential review the Supreme Court instead conducted.

The Court explicitly notes the “inherent narrowness” of today’s decision. FIRE will hold it to that promise, and fight to contain the threat the ruling poses to our First Amendment rights.

#supremecourt #tiktok #freespeech #news #politics

1 year ago | [YT] | 18

FIRE

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order yesterday to eliminate certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in state agencies and organizations that receive state money. While the state may limit certain programs or activities of state agencies, the executive order is written so broadly that it applies to classroom instruction in higher education. As such, the executive order violates the First Amendment and must be rescinded or amended to make clear that it does not affect what’s discussed in college classrooms. If the order is not rescinded or amended, West Virginia’s public institutions must protect faculty academic freedom rights and make sure that classroom teaching is not affected.

www.thefire.org/news/west-virginia-executive-order…

1 year ago | [YT] | 22