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
Coalition for Independent Technology Research v. Rubio
A challenge to an immigration policy targeting tech researchers and online safety workers
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Urges Appeals Court to End Mahmoud Khalil’s Deportation Proceedings
Says the government cannot use immigration law to silence dissent
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Press Statement
Fourth Circuit Dismisses Challenge to Government Policy Silencing Immigration Judges
Federal employees should be able to speak publicly about matters of public concern without having to jump through futile administrative hoops, the Knight Institute says
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Sues for Records on Government’s Reversal on Mandatory Social Media Disclosure Policy
FOIA lawsuit seeks records concerning OIRA’s approval of a policy nearly identical to one it previously rejected
Our Docket
Showing 1–10 of 101
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Amicus Brief
Patterson v. Meta Platforms, Inc.
A N.Y. Court of Appeals case addressing whether Section 230 immunizes the use of recommendation algorithms.
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. OMB
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records concerning the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs' review of social media disclosure requirements
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Amicus Brief
xAI v. Bonta
A Ninth Circuit case challenging California’s generative AI transparency law
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Amicus Brief
CAIR Foundation v. DeSantis
An Eleventh Circuit case challenging a Florida executive order designating CAIR a “terrorist organization”
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Lawsuit
Umemoto v. Westchester County Police Department
A class-action challenge to the Westchester County Police Department’s AI-powered vehicle surveillance system
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Inofuentes
A Fourth Circuit case addressing the constitutionality of warrantless cellphone searches at the border
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Amicus Brief
Amazon v. Perplexity AI
A case addressing the application of computer crime laws to AI tools that collect information on behalf of users