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
Zuckerman v. Meta Platforms, Inc.
A case arguing that Section 230 protects tools that empower people to control what they see on social media.
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Files Amicus Brief in X Corp. v. Media Matters
Says forced disclosure of donor list raises First Amendment concerns and has chilling effects
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Press Statement
Appeals Court Upholds Federal TikTok Ban
Decision “reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly,” groups say
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Our Docket
Showing 1–10 of 73
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Amicus Brief
X Corp. v. Media Matters
An appeal addressing X Corp.’s effort to compel a research organization to disclose its donors.
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Smith
A Second Circuit case addressing warrantless cellphone searches at the border
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Lawsuit
The Foundation for Global Political Exchange v. Department of the Treasury
A case challenging OFAC’s suppression of the exchange of political ideas
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Department of Education
A FOIA lawsuit seeking disclosure of Department of Education guidance to universities regarding their Title VI obligations.
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Kamaldoss
A Second Circuit case addressing warrantless cellphone searches at the border
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Amicus Brief
University of Maryland Students for Justice in Palestine v. University of Maryland
A case challenging a public university’s blanket ban on expressive gatherings on October 7.
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Alisigwe
A Second Circuit case addressing warrantless cellphone searches at the 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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Amicus Brief
Armendariz v. City of Colorado Springs
A case challenging broad police searches of the digital devices of housing-rights advocates
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Amicus Brief
Iowa v. Securities Exchange Commission
Litigation challenging the SEC’s climate disclosure rule