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
American Association of University Professors v. Rubio
A case challenging the Trump administration’s policy of ideological deportation.
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
Technology Researchers Ask Court to Block Trump Policy Threatening Deportation for Work on Social Media Platforms
Say policy violates the First Amendment and is already chilling critical research
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Press Statement
Technology Researchers Challenge Trump Policy Threatening Deportation for Work on Social Media Platforms and Online Harms
Say policy chills a broad range of protected speech and violates the Constitution
Our Docket
Showing 41–50 of 91
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Lawsuit
Coalition for Independent Technology Research v. Abbott
A case challenging the application of Texas’s TikTok ban to public university faculty
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Amicus Brief
O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier
A Ninth Circuit case addressing the application of the First Amendment to government officials’ social media accounts
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. CIA
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records on the government’s use of “spyware”
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Amicus Brief
United States v. Sultanov
An Eastern District of New York case addressing the constitutionality of warrantless cellphone searches at the border
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Department of State
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records relating to the Biden administration’s review of the use of social media identifiers in visa vetting
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Department of State
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records related to foreign state efforts to influence platforms’ content moderation
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. CDC
A FOIA lawsuit seeking policies restricting CDC employees' speech
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Lawsuit
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals v. Tabak
A lawsuit challenging health agencies’ practice of blocking social media comments containing keywords associated with viewpoints critical of animal testing
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Amicus Brief
A & R Engineering and Testing, Inc. v. Scott
A lawsuit challenging Texas’s anti-BDS law
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. DHS
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records on ideological screening at the border