The Knight Institute is seeking a communications associate to support urgent work on free speech, civil liberties, and the digital public sphere. The role will assist with social media, press, and other work tied to the Institute’s litigation, research, policy, and public education priorities.

Now that SCOTUS has closed its term, it’s worth asking what happens when legal institutions stop serving as guardrails. In Episode 1 of ”Lawyering Without Law,” @kimlanelaw.bsky.social explains how legal systems can become vehicles for autocratic power. Listen: www.buzzsprout.com/2609059/epis...

What would it take to build a healthier journalism ecosystem? In a new essay, Hannah Bloch-Wehba examines the state of the news today and proposes a public funding model that would sustain journalism’s core democratic functions while protecting press independence.

Jack Smith’s report remains suppressed. @jameeljaffer.bsky.social writes: “It is incoherent to immunize the president from prosecution on the theory that he can be held accountable through the political process—and then to deny Congress and the public information that would help them do so.”

I wrote about how people don't like it when companies try to fob off AI as human, why companies do it anyway, and what the law might do about it

Trump has never had to account to the public for his hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Maybe a federal appeals court in Miami can do something about it. New from me about the outrageous suppression of the special counsel’s report. (Gift link.) www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/o...

Episode 5 of "Lawyering Without Law" is out now. Madhav Khosla talks with David Dyzenhaus and @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social about how repressive regimes, from Nazi Germany to apartheid South Africa, govern through lawyers, courts, and legal theory—and what that history illuminates about the present.

How can Congress limit the government’s power to use federal funding as a weapon? In a new essay, @jamalgreene.bsky.social argues that reform should begin with Title VI and Title IX, whose funding-enforcement mechanism can leave universities vulnerable to political coercion.

History’s most effective assaults on democracy have worked *through* law rather than against it. New episode in @knightcolumbia.org's podcast on Lawyering Without Law features Madhav Khosla in conversation with David Dyzenhaus and @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social. open.spotify.com/episode/3hV2...

What can lawyers do when authoritarianism works through the law? Episode 5 of “Lawyering Without Law” drops tomorrow. David Dyzenhaus and @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social join @katygb.bsky.social and Madhav Khosla to discuss lawyers, authoritarianism, and the fight to preserve the rule of law.

Columbia News included “Lawyering Without Law” in its roundup of podcasts from across @columbiauniversity.bsky.social to listen to right now. Their framing gets right to the heart of the series: Some of the most effective assaults on democracy don’t just shut down legal institutions. They use them.

Rebuilding a more just and publicly accountable future will require reckoning with the systems we created that produced the current chaos. “Sulla could do it, shall I not?” set the stage for Caesar’s dictatorship. It is a path we, as a country, must not repeat to save the republic.

How much power should the Office of Management and Budget have within the federal government? In a new essay, @colesci.bsky.social argues that protecting institutional autonomy requires limiting OMB’s authority and decentralizing power across Congress and federal agencies.

Mohsen Mahdawi joined the Knight Institute and @welch.senate.gov to discuss the stakes of the Trump administration’s use of immigration law. His remarks focused on a core constitutional principle: The First Amendment protects everyone in this country. Learn more: knightcolumbia.org/blog/knight-...

Internship alert: the Knight Institute is accepting applications for its fall 2026 Research, Policy, & Communications Internship. Open to @columbiauniversity.bsky.social and @barnard-college.bsky.social students. Apply by July 17 at 5 p.m. ET: knightcolumbia.org/page/fall-20...

We're hiring! The Knight Institute is looking for a litigator to join us for a two-year position fighting for free speech in the digital age. knightcolumbia.org/page/staff_a...

Who should have power over the human knowledge AI systems are built from? @salome.bsky.social proposes reforms to address the concentration of informational power and argues that AI governance must give workers and knowledge producers more control over whether and how their work is used.

The Knight Institute is seeking a staff attorney to join our litigation team for a two-year position based in New York City. The staff attorney will help develop and litigate cutting-edge cases relating to free speech and press freedom. More info: knightcolumbia.org/page/staff_a...

Now hiring: The Knight Institute is seeking an early career professional to join our litigation team as a full-time paralegal. The position is based at Columbia University in New York City and will support the Institute’s free-speech litigation. More info: knightcolumbia.org/page/paralegal

The Trump administration’s use of immigration law to target noncitizens for protected activity threatens First Amendment freedoms. Yesterday, the Institute joined @welch.senate.gov, @vanhollen.senate.gov, @durbin.senate.gov, and Mohsen Mahdawi to warn against the weaponization of immigration law.

Today at 4 p.m. ET, the Institute and @welch.senate.gov will hold a press conference following a congressional briefing on threats to free speech and the Trump administration’s use of immigration law to target protected speech and association. Watch the livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=doB6...

Now hiring: The Knight Institute is seeking an early career professional to join our litigation team as a full-time paralegal. The position is based at Columbia University in New York City and will support the Institute’s free-speech litigation. More info: knightcolumbia.org/page/paralegal

Free speech has been distorted in U.S. public debate. @davidakaye.bsky.social argues that it can and must be reclaimed. In a new essay, Kaye reframes free expression as a core democratic value rooted in human rights and meaningful public participation.

Join the Knight Institute and @celeup.bsky.social on June 16 at 9 a.m. ET for a virtual roundtable on indirect restrictions to free expression across legal systems. Advance registration is required: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

The George W. Bush administration asked whether torture could be legally authorized. It failed to ask whether it should be. In Episode 4 of “Lawyering Without Law,” Alberto Mora discusses the legal, moral, and strategic failures behind the post-9/11 torture program.

What happens when press access depends on presidential favor? In a new essay, @jameeljaffer.bsky.social and Nicola Morrow argue that First Amendment lawsuits aren’t enough to protect the public forums journalism and democracy depend on. Congress must codify those protections.

The Trump administration has illegally but successfully weaponized the power to disburse funds appropriated by Congress to punish dissent and coerce obedience. On the blog and cross-posted on the @knightcolumbia.org website, I propose some disbursal mechanisms that bypass the federal executive. 👇

To what extent does the First Amendment protect AI slop? In a new essay for the Institute's Reconstructing Free Expression series, @katecrawford.bsky.social draws on approaches from copyright law to propose a threshold test.

The Institute filed a brief today urging the Eleventh Circuit to reverse Judge Cannon’s order barring release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report. "The public has the right to see this report under the First Amendment, common law, and Freedom of Information Act," said @scottbwilkens.bsky.social.

The Knight First Amendment Institute today endorsed the bipartisan JAWBONE Act, introduced by Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Wyden. The bill would create an important mechanism for accountability when government officials unlawfully coerce private intermediaries to suppress protected speech.

Great piece from @dorfonlaw.bsky.social about how to limit the executive branch’s influence over universities. New in @knightcolumbia.org’s series on “Reconstructing Free Expression” knightcolumbia.org/blog/a-nongo...

Westchester police are turning everyday driving into a searchable record of people’s lives. The county’s warrantless vehicle surveillance system collects hundreds of millions of vehicle records. Today, the Institute, @nyclu.org, the Policing Project, and Freshfields filed a lawsuit challenging it.

Spyware manufacturer NSO Group is at it again. Despite a permanent injunction secured by WhatsApp last year, NSO Group is reportedly behind a new spear-phishing scheme targeting WhatsApp users. 1/ www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

How can we better insulate federal funding to universities from political interference? In a new essay, @dorfonlaw.bsky.social proposes new models for distributing research funds outside direct government control to help protect research and academic freedom.

What did torture do to American law? Episode 4 of “Lawyering Without Law” drops this Friday. Alberto Mora, former General Counsel of the Navy, joins @katygb.bsky.social and Madhav Khosla to discuss how the Bush administration’s post-9/11 authorization of torture still shapes the rule of law today.

Recent @nytimes.com reporting shows federal judges increasingly questioning whether Justice Department lawyers can be taken at their word. Several recent rulings have criticized government lawyers for withholding information or making assertions that later proved inconsistent with the facts.

If law no longer has to answer to reality, it starts to lose the thing that makes it law, says @debpearlstein.bsky.social. Episode 3 of "Lawyering Without Law" is now live. She talks legal ethics, professional norms, and what happens when politics overtakes the rules meant to constrain it.

The Eleventh Circuit has consolidated the appeals in our case with @weareoversight.bsky.social seeking access to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report, and set a briefing schedule. We’re pleased. Consolidation should allow the closely related appeals to move forward efficiently and consistently.

What happens when lawyers stop believing law and politics are different? Tomorrow, "Lawyering Without Law" returns with Episode 3. @debpearlstein.bsky.social joins @katygb.bsky.social to discuss legal ethics, the rule of law, and erosion inside the profession and its consequences for democracy.

In the latest addition to our Reconstructing Free Expression series, @jamalgreene.bsky.social writes about the importance of creating opportunities for collaboration across ideological difference. knightcolumbia.org/blog/toward-...

This is a complex case, but in essence the Supreme Court let stand a sweeping prior restraint that restricts immigration judges from speaking publicly in their private capacities. A serious blow to First Amendment rights, even if framed in dry procedural language. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/u...

SCOTUS today reversed an appeals court ruling that had allowed our challenge to a DOJ policy silencing immigration judges to proceed in federal court. Statement from Knight Institute Litigation Director @alexabdo.bsky.social

Government pressure on broadcasters raises serious First Amendment concerns. @jameeljaffer.bsky.social joined @karaswisher.bsky.social on @onwithkaraswisher.bsky.social to discuss FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s recent threats against broadcasters and how regulatory threats can chill speech.

If you’re looking for a holiday weekend listen, start here. In Episode 2 of "Lawyering Without Law," @lessig.bsky.social asks whether AI could radically improve law by lowering its cost and reshaping how legal services are delivered. Listen to the full episode: www.buzzsprout.com/2609059/epis...

What does the public lose when researchers are threatened for studying social media? @eileenguo.bsky.social reports for @technologyreview.com on our lawsuit on behalf of @thecoalition.bsky.social challenging a U.S. immigration policy that chills protected speech and independent research.

In a new piece, @sayash.bsky.social and @randomwalker.bsky.social argue that governments should address AI-related risks by building societal resilience through normal governance processes, rather than relying on extraordinary measures like licensing regimes or restrictions on open-weight models.

This is one of the most important essays we've published about AI and its implications. It's already one of the most-read essays on @knightcolumbia.org's site and it was published only a few days ago. If you haven't read it, put it on your list for this weekend. knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...

@victorpickard.bsky.social writes about the importance of public media and proposes the creation of locally owned and controlled multi-media hubs called “Public Media Centers” for our Reconstructing Free Expression series. knightcolumbia.org/blog/reimagi...

In a new piece for our Reconstructing Free Expression series, @mikeananny.bsky.social writes about the “Media Industrial Complex”—our current media environment shaped and driven by powerful individuals—and how we can move towards a media environment in line with the public interest.

Thanks to @kateshaw.bsky.social for including our podcast, “Lawyering Without Law,” in @strictscrutiny.bsky.social's favorites list. If you haven’t listened to Episode 2 yet, it’s available wherever you get your podcasts. www.buzzsprout.com/2609059/epis...