Our podcast "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment" is a finalist for a @signalawards.bsky.social Listener's Choice Award in the Best Podcast in News and Politics category. 🗳️ VOTE below before the 10/9 deadline. We appreciate your support! vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

We're finalists! Check out "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment," hosted by @cristianfarias.com, episodes explore a major First Amendment news story and feature the people most affected and fighting back. podcastingtoday.co.uk/the-signal-a...

🗓️ NEXT WEEK: Mark your calendars and join a conversation with legendary civil liberties advocate Aryeh Neier, on Friday 10/3 at 6pm ET. With @jameeljaffer.bsky.social & Anthony Romero. Co-sponsored with @aclu.org & @nyclu.org. In-person in NY & livestreamed. RSVP: knightcolumbia.org/events/defen...

Free speech expert @jameeljaffer.bsky.social responds to ABC's decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air following host Jimmy Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk.

“What good is the first amendment when so many in power don’t seem to know it exists?” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Katie Fallow from @knightcolumbia.org said the new policy is part of “the Trump administration’s broader assault on free speech and press freedom.” “A reporter who publishes only what the government ‘authorizes’ is doing something other than reporting,” she said.

“The court saw this litigation for what it was—a fishing expedition designed to chill human rights advocacy ... This ruling should make it harder for human rights violators to try to silence their critics through abusive discovery," said Jake Karr. Read more: knightcolumbia.org/content/fede...

FCC Chairman Carr’s successful targeting of Jimmy Kimmel is part of a longstanding pattern of jawboning. Back in February, @knightcolumbia.org submitted a statement to the House Committee on the Judiciary outlining just a few of Carr’s acts of censorship (1/):

Litigation director @alexabdo.bsky.social equates the Kimmel suspension to what's known as jawboning. He adds: "It's as direct a line as you could dream up. [...] If the First Amendment was meant to prevent censorship, this is the prime example of it." More in @npr.org. www.npr.org/2025/09/18/n...

In the wake of COVID-era platform pressure, @knightcolumbia.org had an excellent series on jawboning I found really helpful. Recommend it to all journalists these days: knightcolumbia.org/research/jaw...

"We don't want the administration to be using this tragedy as a way to go after protected speech. [...] Bondi and others have gotten a lot of blowback on this, and they should, frankly," @katiefallow.bsky.social tells @msnbc.com's @arimelber.bsky.social. WATCH below ⬇️. www.msnbc.com/the-beat-wit...

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.bsky.social. knightcolumbia.org/content/afte...

"A government official cannot coerce a private party to punish or suppress disfavored speech on her behalf" NRA v Vullo www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...

“The Trump administration targeted Mahmoud Khalil as part of its broader effort to punish student protesters for engaging in lawful political speech,” says @georgewang.bsky.social. Read more about the amicus brief we just filed in the Khalil v. Trump case here: knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...

“The complaint is full of bluster but short on any allegations of specific false statements of fact that would meet the rigorous standards for defamation claims brought by public figures,” @knightcolumbia.org's deputy litigation director @katiefallow.bsky.social says. More in @washingtonpost.com.

Denying passports to citizens, stripping visas, denying visitors' entry on ideological grounds - we've seen this before, in the McCarthy era. Here's Sam Lebovic, an excellent historian of this period, on efforts to restrict Americans' access to ideas from abroad: knightcolumbia.org/content/do-a...

“Trump’s lawsuit against The New York Times and Penguin Random House is his latest attempt to weaponize defamation law to silence legitimate journalistic criticism and accountability reporting." See @katiefallow.bsky.social's full statement on the news here: knightcolumbia.org/content/trum...

📍10/3 EVENT: Aryeh Neier was @aclu.org's director in '77 when American Nazis demanded the right to march through Skokie. He'll reflect on the controversial case and its contemporary significance with @jameeljaffer.bsky.social. Intro by Anthony Romero. RSVP here: www.eventbrite.com/e/defending-...

📍EVENT: On 10/3, join @aclu.org, @knightcolumbia.org, and @nyclu.org 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: www.eventbrite.com/e/defending-...

In AAUP v. Rubio, “The Trump admin has been arguing that…foreign citizens don't have the same First Amendment rights as citizens.” This is a “huge challenge to our conception of the First Amendment and of the work that the First Amendment is supposed to do in our democracy.”  the.ink/p/watch-will...

In this episode of AAUP Presents, we discuss AAUP v. Rubio, the lawsuit challenging Trump's policy of arresting & deporting non-citizens, students & faculty participating in pro-Palestine activism. Feat. Ramya Krishnan of the Knight First Institute @ramyakrishnan.bsky.social @knightcolumbia.org

Second talk tomorrow at 13:30 — a presentation of my work on GenAI, elections and democracy with @sachaltay.bsky.social as part of the @knightcolumbia.org project on AI and Democracy led by @sethlazar.org 🤖🏛️🗳️

“President Trump’s deployment of the military in Los Angeles chilled political protest and disregarded the First Amendment," says @knightcolumbia.org staff attorney Jennifer Jones. We just filed a brief in Newsom v. Trump with @aclu.org & other partners. Read more: knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...

“As a candidate, Trump attacked Biden for pressuring social media companies to police disinformation," @alexabdo.bsky.social tells @washingtonpost.com. "But as president, he’s using the government to punish his political opponents. To call this hypocritical is a wild understatement." Read below.

🚨10/3: RSVP to join a conversation with longtime human rights advocate Aryeh Neier as he reflects on his career and some of the most consequential free speech cases of our time. With @jameeljaffer.bsky.social and @aclu.org's Anthony Romero. In-person in NYC and online. Register to save a spot!

In a new paper in our AI & Democratic Freedoms series, Rachel M. Kim, Blaine Kuehnert, @sethlazar.org, Ranjit Singh, & Hoda Heidari propose creating an AI Power Disparity Index, designed to measure and signal the changing distribution of power in the AI ecosystem. knightcolumbia.org/content/the-...

New from @knightcolumbia.org: Ken Stern on the academic-freedom implications of universities using the IHRA definition of antisemitism to mark the outer limits of free speech and inquiry on campus. knightcolumbia.org/content/a-ba...

My symposium on AI & Democratic Freedoms (edited with @katygb.bsky.social) is shaping up amazingly. @random_walker and @sayashk 's already influential 'AI as Normal Technology' is there. So is @danielsusskind's insightful investigation of what will remain for humans to do in our automated future.

New @knightcolumbia.org essay on how the IHRA definition of antisemitism now being adopted by many universities harms academic freedom and chills speech, by Kenneth S. Stern of @bardcollege.bsky.social, the original drafter of that definition. knightcolumbia.org/content/a-ba...

In a new essay, Kenneth Stern—the original drafter of what is now the IHRA definition of antisemitism—reflects on universities’ adoption of the definition and the threat it poses to academic freedom. knightcolumbia.org/content/a-ba...

🔊Make the most of your commute by tuning in to “The Bully’s Pulpit.” Each episode explores a major First Amendment story in the news & features the people most affected, with host @cristianfarias.com & special guests. Listen, subscribe, and tell us what you think! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

New paper by @sethlazar.org and Tino Cuéllar of @carnegieendowment.org for @knightcolumbia.org's project on AI & Democratic Freedoms - AI Agents and Democratic Resilience. Short 🧵 below with a few screenshots from the essay to pique your interest: knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...

In the latest essay in our AI & Democratic Freedoms series, @sethlazar.org and Tino Cuéllar (@carnegieendowment.org) discuss how AI agents might affect the realization of democratic values. knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...

🚨OCT. 3: RSVP to hear legendary civil liberties and human rights advocate Aryeh Neier reflect on his career and some of the most consequential #freespeech cases of our time. Co-sponsored by @knightcolumbia.org & @aclu.org. In-person & online. Register now. www.eventbrite.com/e/defending-...

On 9/30 at 7pm ET, litigation director @alexabdo.bsky.social will join @92ndstreety.bsky.social & @folcs.bsky.social's panel "Shadowbanned & Shut Down: Censorship in the Digital Public Square" with @mmasnick.bsky.social & Lee Rowland. Overview below. Register to join: www.92ny.org/event/shadow...

Instances of Paragon's Graphite spyware being used to target journalists in Europe remain unexplained. Placing this technology in the hands of an emboldened ICE is a highly concerning move that compounds threats to civil liberties.

Knight Institute Urges Congress to Limit ICE’s Access to Spyware Technologies Following Renewal of Paragon Contract. See our full statement from @knightcolumbia.org policy director @nadinefj.bsky.social below. knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...

🚫 Shadowbanned. 🔒 Shut down. What does free speech look like in the digital age? Join @92ndstreety.bsky.social + FOLCS Sept 30 for a powerful convo on censorship & democracy. 🔗 RSVP 92ny.org/event/shadow... #FreeSpeech #DigitalAge @mmasnick.bsky.social @alexabdo.bsky.social

Great op-ed on how Trump's EOs targeting DEI and trans people will limit scientific inquiry and the development of knowledge - ties in nicely with @kendraserra.bsky.social's essay for @knightcolumbia.org's series on federal funding & the 1st Amendment: knightcolumbia.org/blog/facts-a...

📍10/3 EVENT: Aryeh Neier was @aclu.org director in '77 when American Nazis demanded the right to march through Skokie. He'll reflect on the controversial case and its contemporary significance with @jameeljaffer.bsky.social. Intro remarks: Anthony Romero. Register: knightcolumbia.org/events/defen...

“Congress could amend the CFAA to clarify that the use of the software, services, or servers of U.S. companies to develop and/or deliver spyware ... is sufficient to establish venue for purposes of seeking relief in U.S. courts.” More from @nadinefj.bsky.social: www.justsecurity.org/118704/polic...

Commercial #spyware poses significant harms to privacy and civil liberties. In our new series with the Atlantic Council, “Legal Frameworks for Addressing Spyware Harms,” Nadine Farid Johnson lays out a policy roadmap for redress in U.S. courts. www.justsecurity.org/118704/polic...

This season's final episode of The Bully's Pulpit is really good--it features Emerson Sykes, @nhannahjones.bsky.social, and @cristianfarias.com talking about the Trump admin's efforts to rewrite or and erase aspects of our shared history. @knightcolumbia.org podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Don’t miss @nhannahjones.bsky.social and Emerson Sykes on “Trump’s Erasure of American History,” the latest episode of “The Bully’s Pulpit.” 

 Listen, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you get podcasts. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Punishing universities for "fighting back"--that is, for petitioning the courts for redress of grievances--would be a serious violation of the First Amendment even if Trump's broader campaign against the universities was lawful, which it isn't. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/u...

For more on what's at stake in the defunding of CPB for local public radio stations, listen to Tami Graham, executive director of Colorado-based public radio station KSUT, on "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment." podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Two very good pieces about what it means that universities are using the IHRA definition of antisemitism to delineate the outer boundaries of political speech on campus. Here's one by @epress.bsky.social in the New Yorker. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Great @eff.org podcast with @randomwalker.bsky.social, touching on his AI as Normal Technology paper w/ @sayash.bsky.social for our @knightcolumbia.org AI & Democratic Freedoms project. Short 🧵 of a few other papers related to this podcast discussion: www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

In the finale of "The Bully's Pulpit," @cristianfarias.com sits down with @nhannahjones.bsky.social and @aclu.org’s Emerson Sykes to delve into the First Amendment, civil rights, and why defending free speech is essential to protecting our history. 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Harvard is reportedly nearing a “settlement” with Trump. Here’s a great podcast episode from @knightcolumbia.org with Wesleyan President Michael Roth, U Chicago First Amendment guru @genevievelakier.bsky.social, and journalist @cristianfarias.com. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...