U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Trump administration violated the First Amendment by commandeering Education Department employees’ email accounts to send partisan messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. The automated responses stated that the House passed …
Christopher CooperDepartment of EducationAmerican Federation of Government Employeesfirst-amendmentcivil-servicegovernment-shutdownjudicial-rebukepartisan-abuse
Federal officials told faith leaders gathered outside the Broadview ICE detention center in Illinois that ’there is no more prayer in front of building or inside the building because this is the state and it’s not [of a] religious background.’ The directive marked the third time …
ICEDHSMichael PflegerThomas MillsTricia McGlaughlin+1 moreicereligious-freedomfirst-amendmentdetentionimmigration+4 more
On November 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued a devastating preliminary injunction against Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and federal immigration enforcement agents in Chicago, explicitly finding that Bovino “admitted that he lied” about the October 23, 2025 tear gas …
Judge Sara EllisGregory BovinoDepartment of Homeland SecurityCBPICE+3 moregregory-bovinojudge-sara-ellisjudicial-rebukeperjuryconstitutional-violations+7 more
Pope Leo XIV issued a direct challenge to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on November 4, 2025, calling on ICE authorities to allow pastoral workers and clergy to minister to detained migrants. Speaking from Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence, Pope Leo XIV stated he “would …
Pope Leo XIVICECardinal Blase CupichBroadview ICE Processing CenterChicago Archdiocese+2 morepope-leo-xiviceimmigrationreligious-freedombroadview+6 more
In November 2025, the Department of Justice, FBI, and Secret Service launched an aggressive investigation into Barbara Wien, a 66-year-old retired university professor and activist from Virginia, for distributing protest fliers about White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The Trump …
On October 29, 2025, the Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment charging Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and five other activists with conspiracy to impede federal law enforcement officers and forcibly impeding ICE officers during a September 26 protest outside an …
Kat AbughazalehDepartment of JusticeImmigration and Customs EnforcementCatherine SharpMichael Rabbitt+1 moredojindictmentpolitical-prosecutionfirst-amendmentice+1 more
On October 23, 2025, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was caught on video personally throwing at least one tear gas canister into a crowd of protesters in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, directly violating a federal court restraining order issued just two weeks earlier by U.S. …
Gregory BovinoJudge Sara EllisDepartment of Homeland SecurityCBPChicago Headline Club+1 moregregory-bovinoborder-patrolconstitutional-violationsjudicial-defianceuse-of-force+6 more
On September 25, 2025, Aakash Singh, a senior official in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office, sent a directive to U.S. attorney’s offices in at least seven states—including California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, and Maryland—ordering them to prepare investigations into the …
Department of JusticeGeorge SorosOpen Society FoundationsAakash SinghTodd Blanche+2 moredojpolitical-prosecutioninstitutional-capturenonprofit-targetingfirst-amendment+1 more
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly threatened to revoke ABC affiliate licenses over Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting, stating ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way’ and warning companies could ‘change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or …
Brendan CarrJimmy KimmelABCDisneyFCC+1 morecensorshipfirst-amendmentregulatory-captureauthoritarianismmedia-suppression+1 more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a mixed ruling in NetChoice, LLC v. Bonta, largely upholding California’s Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act (SB 976) while striking down one provision. The decision affirmed a district court’s denial of …
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitNetChoiceCaliforniaRob Bontajudiciarycourtsappeals-courtsocial-mediatech-regulation+2 more
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on July 11, 2025, prohibiting LAPD from using less-lethal munitions, rubber bullets, and chemical agents against clearly identified journalists covering protests in Los Angeles. The order also bars police from forcibly removing journalists from …
U.S. District CourtLAPDJournalistspress-freedomcourtsprotestsfirst-amendmentpolice-violence+2 more
Law enforcement shot over 20 journalists with rubber bullets and pepper balls during June 6-9 immigration protests in Los Angeles amid 2,000 National Guard deployment. Nick Stern required emergency surgery from plastic bullet; Lauren Tomasi shot on live TV; Toby Canham struck in forehead. Reporters …
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)LAPDFederal Law EnforcementJournalists and reportersNational Guardlaw-enforcementlos-angelespress-freedomprotestsjournalist-injuries+3 more
On April 15, 2025, days after a federal court ordered the White House to restore Associated Press access, the Trump administration restructured the presidential press pool and eliminated the permanent wire-service position. This unprecedented move wrested control of press pool composition from the …
White HouseWHCAWire servicespress-freedomwhite-housemedia-accessfirst-amendmentwhca+2 more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on April 9, 2025, that it would screen immigrants’ social media activity for antisemitic content when adjudicating immigration benefits. The policy allows denial of visas, green cards, and citizenship based on social media posts deemed …
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)Department of Homeland SecurityTrump AdministrationCivil liberties groupsimmigrationscreeningsocial-mediafirst-amendmentviewpoint-discrimination+2 more
A federal judge on April 8, 2025, ordered the White House to restore Associated Press access to cover presidential events, finding that the administration’s February ban constituted viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. The ruling came after AP was barred from …
U.S. District CourtAssociated PressThe White HouseTrump Administrationcourtspress-freedomfirst-amendmentmedia-accessassociated-press+1 more
Meta settled a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump for $25 million over his social media account suspensions following the January 6 Capitol attack. Most of the settlement, approximately $22 million, will go to Trump’s presidential library. Critics like Senator Elizabeth Warren view the settlement …
Donald TrumpMark ZuckerbergMeta Corporationmedia-controlgovernment-contractsjustice-weaponizationcorporate-political-influencefirst-amendment
The Department of Justice implements a new national security data security program that potentially allows for increased surveillance of journalists. Under the program, DOJ creates mechanisms to access bulk data that could be used to track reporters, particularly those investigating administration …
DOJFBINational Security DivisionJournalistsNews Organizationspress-freedomsurveillancedojfirst-amendmentnational-security+1 more
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 26, 2024, that neither state nor individual plaintiffs established standing to enjoin federal officials over alleged coercion of social-media platforms. Justice Barrett’s majority opinion found plaintiffs failed to show government actions caused platforms to …
Supreme Court of the United StatesJustice Amy Coney Barrett (majority opinion)Justice Samuel Alito (dissent)Justice Clarence Thomas (dissent)Justice Neil Gorsuch (dissent)+2 morecourtssocial-mediastandingfirst-amendmentcontent-moderation+3 more
Dataminr began providing the Los Angeles Police Department with real-time surveillance alerts about Gaza war protests just two days after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, demonstrating the company’s ongoing role in monitoring constitutionally protected political speech despite …
DataminrLAPDTalia Janesurveillancesocial-mediaprotestsgazapalestine+3 more
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that White House officials, the Surgeon General, CDC, and FBI ’likely coerced or significantly encouraged’ social media platforms to censor content, constituting state action in violation of the First Amendment. The court found evidence of a …
Fifth Circuit Court of AppealsWhite HouseFBICDCSurgeon General+1 morecensorshipfirst-amendmentsocial-mediagovernment-overreachjudicial-ruling
A Connecticut jury awarded $965 million in damages to families of Sandy Hook victims, representing the largest defamation verdict against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The landmark decision stemmed from Jones’ repeated false claims that the 2012 school shooting was a ‘hoax’, …
Alex JonesSandy Hook victim familiesConnecticut Superior Courtdefamationmedia-accountabilityconspiracy-theoriesfirst-amendmentlegal-precedent
The FBI signed an expedited agreement to extend its relationship with Dataminr on June 9, 2020, just days after nationwide demonstrations erupted following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The expanded contract provided FBI agents with enhanced access to Dataminr’s …
FBIDataminrNYPDLAPDChicago Police Department+1 moresurveillancesocial-mediaprotestsblack-lives-mattergeorge-floyd+3 more
A U.S. grand jury added 17 counts under the Espionage Act to the federal indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, marking the first time in American history that the government used the 1917 anti-spying law to prosecute a publisher for receiving and publishing truthful classified …
Julian AssangeWikiLeaksDepartment of JusticeTrump Administrationespionage-actpress-freedomwikileaksfirst-amendmentextradition
The ACLU of Northern California released a report revealing that Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram had provided special data access to Geofeedia, a surveillance technology company that marketed its location-based monitoring tools to law enforcement agencies for tracking Black Lives Matter protesters …
ACLUGeofeediaTwitterFacebookInstagramsurveillancesocial-mediablack-lives-matterprotestscivil-rights+3 more
Microsoft and Google filed federal lawsuits challenging government gag orders that prohibited them from disclosing details about Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requests and National Security Letters (NSLs) they receive for customer data. The companies argued these blanket nondisclosure …
MicrosoftGoogleBrad SmithDepartment of JusticeNSAnsa-surveillancetransparencytech-resistancefisa-requestsfirst-amendment+1 more
FBI field offices around the country began surveilling Occupy Wall Street organizers as early as August 2011—a month before the first protesters arrived at Zuccotti Park—treating the nonviolent economic justice movement as a potential terrorist threat despite acknowledging internally that organizers …
FBIDepartment of Homeland SecurityOccupy Wall StreetJoint Terrorism Task Forcefbi-abusesurveillanceprotest-suppressionfirst-amendmentdomestic-spying
FBI agents executed coordinated early-morning raids on the homes and offices of anti-war and international solidarity activists in Minneapolis, Chicago, and other cities, seizing computers, phones, documents, and political materials. The raids targeted activists organizing against the Iraq and …
FBIDepartment of JusticeAnti-war activistsGrand juryfbi-abusesurveillanceprotest-suppressionfirst-amendmentpolitical-repression
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that corporations can spend unlimited amounts on elections through independent expenditures, enabling creation of Super PACs and dark money networks. The decision dramatically reshaped campaign finance, allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited funds on independent …
Supreme CourtCitizens UnitedFederal Election CommissionJustice Anthony KennedyJustice John Paul Stevensdark-moneycampaign-financesupreme-courtcorporate-powerfirst-amendment+1 more
President Bill Clinton signs the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the first major overhaul of U.S. telecommunications law in over 60 years. While ostensibly designed to promote competition by allowing ‘anyone to enter any communications business,’ the act was heavily influenced by …
Bill ClintonTelecommunications Industry LobbyistsClear Channel CommunicationsViacomCorporate Media Lobbies+1 moreregulatory-capturetelecommunicationsderegulationmedia-consolidationcorporate-lobbying+2 more
Justice Lewis Powell delivers majority opinion in First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti (435 U.S. 765), establishing for first time that corporations have First Amendment speech rights to influence ballot initiatives and political campaigns. Powell’s 5-4 decision strikes down Massachusetts …
Lewis F. Powell Jr.Supreme Court of the United StatesFirst National Bank of BostonFrancis X. Bellotti (Massachusetts Attorney General)Corporate Interestscorporate-speech-rightsfirst-amendmentbellotti-decisionpowell-memo-implementationcampaign-finance+1 more
Justice Lewis Powell authors the majority opinion in First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, holding for the first time that corporations have First Amendment rights to influence political ballot questions through unlimited expenditures. Powell’s 5-4 decision directly implements his 1971 …
Lewis F. Powell Jr.First National Bank of BostonSupreme Courtbellotti-decisioncorporate-political-speechfirst-amendmentpolitical-influencecitizens-united-foundation
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. authors the majority opinion in Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, establishing First Amendment protection for commercial speech by striking down state restrictions on prescription drug price advertising. This landmark decision creates …
Lewis F. Powell Jr.William BrennanWarren BurgerByron WhiteThurgood Marshall+1 morecommercial-speechfirst-amendmentcorporate-rightsjudicial-captureconstitutional-expansion
Justice Lewis Powell joins the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Buckley v. Valeo (424 U.S. 1), which fundamentally reshaped campaign finance law by equating money with political speech. The Court upheld contribution limits to prevent corruption while striking down expenditure limitations …
Lewis F. Powell Jr.Supreme CourtFederal Election Campaign Actbuckley-v.-valeocampaign-financemoney-as-speechpolitical-expenditurespowell-blueprint-implementation+2 more