Knight First Amendment Inst.

Americans may be deeply divided, but surely none of us wants to live in a society in which the president decides which subjects professors can teach, what news the media can publish, and what comedians are allowed to say on TV, @jameeljaffer@mastodon.social. https://knightcolumbia.org/content/after-abc-cancels-kimmel-knight-institute-condemns-trumps-brazen-attacks-on-free-speech

“These kinds of visa revocations are censorship, plain and simple. Mere ‘mockery’ can’t be grounds for adverse government action—whether revocation of broadcast licenses or revocation of visas," says senior staff attorney and legislative advisor Carrie DeCell. Full statement here: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-says-visa-revocations-over-charlie-kirk-criticism-are-unconstitutional

“This case is not just about the AP’s First Amendment rights. It’s also about the ability of the American public to receive information about the president, free from government censorship," says deputy litigation director Katie Fallow. More about the brief we just filed here: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-urges-court-to-restore-ap-to-white-house-press-pool-1

⬇️ NEWS: “This is a historic ruling that should have immediate implications for the Trump administration’s policies. If the First Amendment means anything, it means the government can’t imprison people simply because it disagrees with their political views." https://knightcolumbia.org/content/in-landmark-ruling-federal-court-says-trump-administration-violated-first-amendment-by-deporting-foreign-citizens-for-pro-palestinian-advocacy

What are chilling effects, and why is First Amendment law concerned with them?📍NEXT MONDAY at 12:30pm ET: Join our online webinar on chilling effects. RSVP: https://knightcolumbia.org/events/litigating-chilling-effects

“The truth is, the Knight Institute is doing just fine. It’s our democracy that I’m more worried about,” Jameel Jaffer tells Inside Higher Ed. He shares more about our work taking on the Trump administration below ⬇️. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2025/10/23/amid-trumps-assault-free-speech-advocates-stay-busy

As universities continue to reject the Trump admin's Compact for Higher Education, Amanda Shanor and Serena Mayeri recent Knight Institute essay analyzes how it violates the First Amendment and constitutional limits on executive power, as well as civil rights statutes. https://knightcolumbia.org/blog/a-brief-legal-analysis-of-the-department-of-educations-proposed-compact-for-higher-education

In a new essay for our Regardless of Frontiers series, Jaya Ramji-Nogales (Temple Law) and Nicole Ramos (Al Otro Lado) discuss the U.S. government’s #surveilllance and harassment of lawyers who serve migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. https://knightcolumbia.org/content/surveilling-border-lawyering

“The things they are doing, I haven’t seen government actions like this in my lifetime,” said Katie Fallow, @knightcolumbia@mastodon.online's deputy litigation director. “The most recent analogies would be from either Nixon or the Red Scare.” More in HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-political-dissent-crackdown_n_68d72b13e4b0d6db559b020f

“The Trump administration targeted Mahmoud Khalil as part of its broader effort to punish student protesters for engaging in lawful political speech,” says staff attorney George Wang. Read about the amicus brief we just filed in Khalil v. Trump here: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-urges-court-to-find-governments-detention-and-attempted-deportation-of-mahmoud-khalil-unconstitutional

In a disappointing decision, a federal court yesterday dismissed our legal challenge on behalf of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research to Texas's #TikTok ban. The ruling poses a threat to #academicfreedom and impedes crucial research. Read our statement here: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/federal-court-dismisses-challenge-to-texas-tiktok-ban

Following the filing of our lawsuit against NSO Group on behalf of journalists & other staff at Al Faro, Litigation Dir. @alexabdo@mastodon.social tells Gizmodo that the case is an effort to get U.S. courts to force NSO Group, and by extension all mercenary spyware companies, to disclose which governments they’re working for. If that happens, it may mean such contracts would dry up. Check it out! https://gizmodo.com/u-s-citizen-sues-nso-group-for-allegedly-helping-el-sa-1849838062

Knight Institute Comments on Arrests of Pro-Palestinian Student Protesters at Columbia University. Read our full statement below & here: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-comments-on-arrests-of-pro-palestinian-student-protesters-at-columbia-university

This term, the Supreme Court will weigh in on social media cases that could have major implications for free speech online. @alexabdo@mastodon.social joined POLITICO Tech's Steven Overly to break down the Murthy v. Missouri case and the issue of #jawboning. Tune in: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-scotus-could-change-speech-on-social-media/id1500970749?i=1000632808949

Episode #5 just dropped! Social media platforms have evaded heavy content moderation regulation, but the jig may soon be up – with 2 major state laws poised for Supreme Court review. @evelyndouek@mstdn.social @alexabdo@mastodon.social & Brian Willen discuss the road ahead. Tune in. https://knightcolumbia.org/content/views-on-first

Today, the NYC Board of Corrections will consider a mail surveillance program that raises privacy and free expression concerns, and would deny people incarcerated the opportunity to hold letters from home. @stephaniekrent@mas.to calls on the Board to reject the proposal in NYN Media. https://www.nynmedia.com/opinion/2023/01/opinion-nycs-nightmarish-plan-prohibit-physical-mail-jails-should-be-abandoned/381629/

This week, DOJ declared that USPS can deliver abortion pills in states that have banned or sharply restricted the procedure. Staff attorney Stephanie Krent tells Washington Post that for now, "these opinions should be considered the law for the executive branch." https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/01/04/abortion-pills-mailed-legal/

"It’s crucial that the court order the government to abandon this unconstitutional policy. The Trump administration should not be permitted to go on terrorizing foreign citizens for political expression that the First Amendment protects." Read more here: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-asks-court-to-block-trump-administration-from-deporting-foreign-citizens-for-pro-palestinian-advocacy

📌 11/5 EVENT: A panel of legal experts and journalists discuss how to protect #pressfreedom and support journalists under Trump. RSVP.

“While the government can revoke visas for many reasons, the First Amendment forbids it from doing so based on viewpoint,” says Carrie DeCell. Read the full story in The Guardian below. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/15/us-visas-charlie-kirk-reaction

“We hope the appeals court will quickly order the lower court to act on the motion, and that this extraordinarily significant report will be made available to the public right away," says senior counsel Scott Wilkens. Read more about today's filing: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-asks-appeals-court-to-compel-ruling-in-trump-classified-documents-case

📍TOMORROW, 7pm ET: Register to livestream "Shadowbanned & Shut Down: Censorship in the Digital Public Square," a panel with litigation director @alexabdo@mastodon.social, Mike Masnick and Lee Rowland. Co-hosted by 92 Street Y and FOLCS. https://www.92ny.org/event/shadowbanned-shutdown

📌 11/5 EVENT: Press freedom, already under threat, has become even more vulnerable in President Trump’s second term. Our expert panel will consider how to protect the crucial role of the press and support journalists in these dangerous times. RSVP below. https://go.bsky.app/redirect?u=https%3A%2F%2Fknightcolumbia.org%2Fevents%2Fthe-future-of-press-freedom-in-an-era-of-democratic-backsliding

📍EVENT: On 10/3, join ACLU, the Knight Institute, and NYCLU for a discussion with legendary civil liberties and human rights advocate Aryeh Neier. In-person in NYC and online. Reception to follow event. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/defending-my-enemy-a-conversation-with-aryeh-neier-tickets-1628758012059?aff=oddtdtcreator

President Trump’s deployment of the military in Los Angeles chilled political protest and disregarded the First Amendment," says staff attorney Jennifer Jones. We just filed a brief in Newsom v. Trump with ACLU & other partners. Read more: https://knightcolumbia.org/content/knight-institute-aclu-and-partners-urge-appeals-court-to-find-trumps-deployment-of-military-in-los-angeles-unlawful