Next week, about 550 free speech advocates and thought leaders will descend on Philadelphia for @TheFIREorg's first-ever Soapbox conference. Believe it or not, in FIRE's 27-year history, we've never hosted a general-audience free speech conference. We've hosted student and faculty conferences, but nothing like this. We figured the 250th anniversary of American independence was as fitting a time as any to give it a try. We had no idea what to expect. Would anyone buy tickets? Conference experts told us most tickets are sold in the weeks leading up to an event. Instead, we sold out two months in advance! America's free speech movement is growing, and its members are eager to meet one another. I'll deliver the opening keynote, "The Fight for Free Speech," a nod to the title of the ACLU's first annual report in 1921. The talk will summarize the story I tell in my forthcoming book: how civil libertarians fought to make the promise of the First Amendment a reality. Other speakers include @nickgillespie, @LarryLessig, @prestonjbyrne, @ENBrown, @CaseyMattox_, @chrisbest, @RosenJeffrey, @FreeRangeKids, @sapinker, @Musa_alGharbi, @marcorandazza, @AdamThierer, @DavidAFrench, @whignewtons, the @wethefifth guys, @ishapiro, @noam_dworman, @JohnHMcWhorter, @mtaibbi, and many, many more. I can't wait to see you all next week. And if you can't make it, I hope to see you at the next one. Just be sure to get your tickets early!

In 2017, I attended the funeral of the late, great civil libertarian Nat Hentoff. I realized then that a generation of Americans who secured some of our greatest free speech victories was quickly retiring from the barricades. It's hard to appreciate just how profound those victories were. Prior to their arrival, Americans were routinely arrested for criticizing government officials, protesting wars, distributing birth control literature, and engaging in other expression that we take for granted is protected today. In one case, author Upton Sinclair was arrested for reading the First Amendment aloud while protesting in support of striking California dockworkers. The arresting officer told him, "We’ll have none of that Constitution stuff.” This censorship happened despite clear state and federal constitutional protections for free speech. After all, the First Amendment says, "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech." Today, America's free speech protections actually mean something. They are the strongest in the world. So strong, in fact, that Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan worries they've become "weaponized." What's more, free speech has become a defining characteristic of American culture. One British commentator recently remarked that Americans have an “almost religious-like commitment to free speech” that is hard for foreigners to understand. So how did free speech go from an unfulfilled promise to something Americans see as their most important freedom? That's the story my book seeks to tell, and it's now available for preorder. Writing a book is hard, but it's been nice to think through some of the hardest questions with you all. From coming up with a title to designing the cover, I've benefited from "the wisdom of the crowd." So thank you for the help. If you are at all inclined to continue supporting the project, preorders are the best way to do so. They signal to retailers, the media, and publishers that a book deserves more attention ahead of its release. I would greatly appreciate that support. Onward!

This settlement — and the litigation that led to it — was effectively a backdoor effort by the government to mandate age verification. It succeeded. Now Meta is pressuring TikTok and YouTube to voluntarily adopt the same requirements and restrictions found in its settlement. It’s hard to know whether that pressure stems from genuine concern for kids or Meta’s own bottom line. Some of the restrictions it agreed to could put it at a competitive disadvantage unless its rivals follow suit. Nevertheless, few people are talking about the free speech and privacy implications of the settlement — including for adults, who are on the fast track to having to verify their identity before accessing vast swaths of the internet, including this website. It just so happens that earlier this week I hosted a @freespeechtalk debate on this very topic, where we also touched on the AG’s lawsuit against Meta:

Censors are getting increasingly creative. Here, Florida is using the cover of shareholder accountability to try and force the @nytimes to "open the books" on its editorial practices and discussions. Despite what the AG says, this is an attempted end-run around the First Amendment.

Ep. 272: FIRE Monthly Member Webinar - May 2026 Shouting down speakers, UCLA free speech, heckling, AI, doxxing, cancel culture, and more! Featuring @TheFIREorg's @glukianoff, @WillatFIRE, @acglennon, and @NicoPerrino Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:40 Get your tickets to Soapbox now! 06:30 Congratulations to Will on 20 years at FIRE 07:31 How is FIRE responding to shouting down speakers? 11:33 Will FIRE include viewpoint diversity in our College Free Speech Rankings? 13:48 What is FIRE’s response to UCLA Law students protesting a DHS speaker? 17:07 NYU’s commencement speaker Jonathan Haidt 21:20 Is walking out on a controversial speaker protected free speech? 23:28 Is FIRE involved in Texas State University professor Tom Alter’s case? 25:50 What is the scholar to attorney ratio at FIRE? 27:47 Has cancel culture on college campuses changed since Trump 2.0? 32:00 What is FIRE’s stance on doxxing? 37:02 FIRE volunteer opportunities 37:33 Can the government regulate AI? 42:01 Is talk therapy speech or medical treatment? (Chiles v. Salazar) 46:02 What are the most pressing threats to online expression? 51:30 Special thanks to the Middlebury College Democrats and Republicans 53:45 What are the most challenging aspects of FIRE’s work with technology and free speech? 57:10 Does accepting government money protect or restrict speech? 1:00:25 Is FIRE a reactive organization and what solutions do we offer? 01:01:41 Outro

What began with a one-line email has now escalated into multiple investigations, six disciplinary charges, and a second @BowdoinCollege hearing on whether student Finley Rhys can return to campus. We’re appalled by how far this retaliatory crusade has gone.

Some conversations just belong on stage, especially when they’re part of one of the biggest podcasts in law. We’re thrilled to welcome Advisory Opinions from @thedispatch to Soapbox for a LIVE recording with @whignewtons and @DavidAFrench. You’ll want a front-row seat.

As Judge Leon noted, Albanese "did nothing more than speak!" She called for prosecutions related to Israel's conduct in Gaza. Because of that, the State Department sanctioned her, blocking her from her property and family in America, as well as her bank accounts, health insurance, and even hotel bookings. She has no authority to authorize prosecutions. Her calls were "nothing more than her opinion," according to Judge Leon.

Efforts to cancel commencement speakers for wrongthink are common. So common in fact that two decades ago @TheFIREorg took to calling commencement season "disinvation season." Too often administrations capitulate to these demands by pivoting to speakers or ceremonies so bland that they become banal. And by rewarding the cancelers, they incentivize more cancelation demands. Fortunately, @nyuniversity isn't backing down. We've found that when universities state unequivocal commitments like this, the demands peter out. It's when you equivocate, or try to please everyone, that cancelation voices grow louder.

The American Revolution wasn’t just fought in public, it was planned in private. The Founders knew public dissent depends on private space. That logic still holds today. No privacy → no organizing No organizing → no accountability No accountability → no democracy

Joseph McCarthy’s crusade against Communists in the 1950s launched one of America’s most notorious witch hunts. His name became a warning: McCarthyism. The Second Red Scare reminds us that freedom depends on due process, dissent, and the right to speak without fear.