{"id":46479,"date":"2022-02-15T18:15:12","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T23:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/free-speech"},"modified":"2025-06-17T16:06:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T20:06:24","slug":"free-speech","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/free-speech","title":{"rendered":"Free Speech"},"parent":0,"menu_order":107,"template":"","class_list":["post-46479","issue","type-issue","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"featured-image":210689,"intro":"Protecting free speech means protecting a free press, the democratic process, diversity of thought, and so much more. The ACLU has worked since 1920 to ensure that freedom of speech is protected for everyone.","what-you-need-to-know":[{"highlighted":"1920s","description":"Since the 1920s, the ACLU has been involved in virtually all of the landmark speech cases to reach the U.S. Supreme Court."},{"highlighted":"1933","description":"A nationwide ban on \"Ulysses,\" a novel by James Joyce, was lifted in 1933 following an ACLU challenge. "},{"highlighted":"1997","description":"In a landmark 1997 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the ACLU\u2019s argument that the Internet itself is a free-speech zone."}],"promo":{"description":"","button":"","url":""},"faq":{"description":"","faq-items":null},"featured-stories":[{"image":202735,"title":"A Letter From Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil","content-type":"news_and_commentary","last-updated":null,"description":"Khalil, who was unlawfully arrested in retaliation for his advocacy, details this violation of his free speech rights.\r\n","url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/free-speech\/a-letter-from-palestinian-activist-mahmoud-khalil"}],"latest-stories":[{"image":205202,"title":"Writing an Op-Ed is Not Grounds for Deportation","type":"news_and_commentary","url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/free-speech\/writing-an-op-ed-is-not-grounds-for-deportation"},{"image":204532,"title":"Free Mahmoud Khalil with Ben Wizner and Baher Azmy","type":"podcast","url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/podcast\/free-mahmoud-khalil-with-ben-wizner-and-baher-azmy"}],"whats-at-stake":{"title":"What's at Stake","description":"\u201cFreedom of expression is the matrix, the indispensable condition, of nearly every other form of freedom.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u2014U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo in Palko v. Connecticut<\/em>\r\n\r\nFreedom of speech, the press, association, assembly, and petition: This set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of expression. It is the foundation of a vibrant democracy, and without it, other fundamental rights, like the right to vote, would wither away.\r\n\r\nThe fight for freedom of speech has been a bedrock of the ACLU\u2019s mission since the organization was founded in 1920, driven by the need to protect the constitutional rights of conscientious objectors and anti-war protesters. The organization\u2019s work quickly spread to combating censorship, securing the right to assembly, and promoting free speech in schools.\r\n\r\nAlmost a century later, these battles have taken on new forms, but they persist. The ACLU\u2019s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project continues to champion freedom of expression in its myriad forms \u2014 whether through protest, media, online speech, or the arts \u2014 in the face of new threats. For example, new avenues for censorship have arisen alongside the wealth of opportunities for speech afforded by the Internet. The threat of mass government surveillance chills the free expression of ordinary citizens, legislators routinely attempt to place new restrictions on online activity, and journalism is criminalized in the name of national security. The ACLU is always on guard to ensure that the First Amendment\u2019s protections remain robust \u2014 in times of war or peace, for bloggers or the institutional press, online or off.\r\n\r\nOver the years, the ACLU has represented or defended individuals engaged in some truly offensive speech. We have defended the speech rights of communists, Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members, accused terrorists, pornographers, anti-LGBT activists, and flag burners. That\u2019s because the defense of freedom of speech is most necessary when the message is one most people find repulsive. Constitutional rights must apply to even the most unpopular groups if they\u2019re going to be preserved for everyone.\r\n\r\nSome examples of our free speech work from recent years include:\r\n