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
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Deep Dive
New York’s Gun Law Goes Too Far: Requiring concealed-carry applicants to register their social media accounts is unconstitutional
This dragnet collection of social media information has a chilling effect on applicants’ exercise of their right to speak and associate with others online
By Anna Diakun -
Press Statement
Incarcerated Individuals and Advocacy Groups Challenge California County’s Policy of Digitizing and Destroying Jail Mail
Knight Institute, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Social Justice Legal Foundation say that the policy violates the rights to free speech and privacy
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Deep Dive
Knight Institute Weighs in on Gonzalez v. Google in RE-COMMITTED Q&A
Knight Institute Senior Counsel Wilkens joins other amici discussing the importance of Gonzalez v. Google for the future of the internet
Our Docket
Showing 21–30 of 55
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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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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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Amicus Brief
NetChoice v. Paxton
Fifth Circuit case challenging new law regulating social media platforms
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Amicus Brief
City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, Inc.
A Supreme Court case challenging a city sign code that permits on-premises but not off-premises signs to be digitized.
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Lawsuit
Doc Society v. Blinken
A lawsuit challenging the State Department’s social media registration requirement
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FOIA 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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FOIA Lawsuit
Campaign for Accountability v. DOJ
A FOIA lawsuit seeking proactive disclosure of the Office of Legal Counsel’s secret legal opinions
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Lawsuit
ACLU v. United States
A motion asserting a right of access to opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Abu Zubaydah
A Supreme Court case in which the government has invoked the state secrets privilege over testimony about the torture of Abu Zubaydah