Free Speech

Our support of the Bill of Rights and the first amendment right to free speech is unequivocal. This includes challenging activities or actions that seek to curtail, limit or erase the free speech of others. However, we reserve the right to exercise our free speech by critiquing the speech of others, such as hateful speech, that is contrary to our core values, which support liberty and justice for all.

ACLU responds to excessive force used on protesters. Read more

ACLU defends "I can't breathe" t-shirts at school... Read more

Your free speech rights at demonstrations and protests. Know Your Rights

$1M settlement for pepper-sprayed UC Davis students. Read more

Blog

United States flag being burnt in protest, in New Hampshire on the eve of the 2008 election.

ACLU to Trump: Flag Burning is Free Speech

November 29, 2016

File Under :

Free Speech

President-elect Donald J. Trump tweeted that anyone who burns a flag should be jailed or even stripped of their U.S. citizenship. The idea that the government could use citizenship as a punishment for political speech is not simply unconstitutional... Read more »

Blog

Post-Election Protesting? Know Your Rights to Demonstrate - #ACLUTimeMachine

November 10, 2016

File Under :

Criminal Justice and Drug Policy, Free Speech

Rallying in response to the news of Donald Trump’s election? Read, print, and share our new demonstrators’ rights wallet cards. Read more »

Know Your Rights: Pocket Guide to Your Right to Demonstrate

Issues :

Criminal Justice and Drug Policy, Free Speech

Tips and legal resources for activists, demonstrators, and direct action takers. Speak out, speak up, speak freely! Know your rights. Read more

News

ACLU Challenges California Ban on Ballot Selfies

November 1, 2016

File Under :

Free Speech, Technology and Civil Liberties, Voting Rights

The ACLU of California filed suit Monday against Secretary of State Alex Padilla challenging two statutes that prohibit voters from sharing ballot selfies. Read more

Case

ACLU Foundations of California v. Alex Padilla (Ballot Selfies)

File Under :

Free Speech, Technology and Civil Liberties, Voting Rights

The ACLU Foundations of California filed suit against Secretary of State Alex Padilla challenging two statutes that prohibit voters from sharing ballot selfies. The suit asks for a temporary restraining order to prohibit the state from enforcing the... Read more

Blog

Government of the People, By the People, and for the People

September 28, 2016

File Under :

Free Speech, Voting Rights

In the 2010 Citizens United decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that independent political expenditures by corporations and unions are protected speech. Citizens United became a flashpoint because Americans are increasingly concerned about the... Read more »

News

ACLU Stands with Standing Rock

September 22, 2016

File Under :

Free Speech, Racial Justice

The ACLU has long been committed to supporting and defending the rights of indigenous people and communities. From North Dakota, to Flint , to Alabama , to California’s Central Valley, the ACLU also recognizes the civil rights issues in struggles... Read more

Case

Hassell v. Bird (Yelp Free Speech)

File Under :

Free Speech, Technology and Civil Liberties

The CA Supreme Court has agreed to review a case that could have allowed people to censor online speech without even giving the website’s owner an opportunity to come to court to defend itself. Read more

Blog

UC Berkeley Just Reinstated A Course on Palestine. It Should Have Protected Free Speech From the Start.

September 20, 2016

File Under :

Free Speech

It’s a victory for free speech and academic freedom – but Cal’s move to cancel the course for no good reason should never have happened in the first place. Read more »

Blog

Colin Kaepernick Kneeled So That We May All Stand Taller

September 8, 2016

File Under :

Criminal Justice and Drug Policy, Free Speech, Racial Justice

It’s hard to speak with your face pressed against concrete. Or when you can’t breathe. Or with a broken neck. And even when you manage to speak, people in power seek to silence you. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick. Read more »