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
Westchester Drivers Challenge County Police Department’s Warrantless Mass Vehicle Surveillance System
Class-action lawsuit seeks to end a sweeping surveillance program that stores driver location data for years
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Press Statement
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to Federal Policy Silencing Immigration Judges, Reverses Appeals Court
Federal employees should be able to speak publicly on matters of public concern, the Knight Institute says
Our Docket
Showing 11–20 of 94
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Lawsuit
Pilant v. Democracy for the Arab World Now
A case defending human rights advocates from abusive discovery demands
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Belmonte Cardozo
A Fourth Circuit case addressing the constitutionality of warrantless cellphone searches at the border
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. OMB
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records concerning agreements between the Trump Administration and major law firms.
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Lawsuit
United States v. Trump
A motion to intervene in Trump classified documents case seeking release of Special Counsel’s report.
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Amicus Brief
Khalil v. Trump
A lawsuit challenging the government’s effort to detain and deport Mahmoud Khalil.
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Amicus Brief
Newsom v. Trump
A lawsuit challenging the deployment of the national guard and marines in Los Angeles.
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Lawsuit
The Texas Tribune v. Caldwell County
A case challenging the exclusion of the press and public from bail hearings in Caldwell County, Texas.
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Amicus Brief
Harvard College v. HHS
A lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s retaliatory targeting of Harvard College
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Amicus Brief
Law Firms v. Trump Administration
Multiple cases by law firms challenging retaliatory executive orders
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Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District
A public records lawsuit seeking information about a school district’s use of surveillance systems to monitor students’ digital activities.