Our Mission
We defend the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, policy advocacy, and public education.
We promote a system of free expression that is open and inclusive, that broadens and elevates public discourse, and that fosters creativity, accountability, and effective self-government.
Learn MoreBlog
Issues
Free Speech & Social Media
Safeguarding the vitality and integrity of public discourse online
Learn More
Featured
Federal Court Says National Institutes of Health Censored Critics on Social Media in Violation of First Amendment
Knight Institute, PETA, and Animal Legal Defense Fund say decision is victory for free speech online
Featured
The Press and American Democracy
Identifying four distinct constitutional functions of "the press"
By Robert C. Post
Featured
Federal Court Says Warrant Required for Device Searches at the Border
Cites concerns about chilling effects of warrantless searches on free speech & press freedom
Podcast
Podcast
"Views on First: War & Speech"
An exploration of the free speech fallout of the war in Israel and Gaza
Learn MoreVideo
Documentary
Flashpoint: Protests, Policing, and the Press
A Knight Institute production
Learn MoreLitigation
Lawsuit
The Foundation for Global Political Exchange v. Department of the Treasury
A case challenging OFAC’s suppression of the exchange of political ideas
Learn MoreLitigation
Deep Dive
In a victory for free speech, lawsuit challenging mail digitization in jails will move forward
Case brought by incarcerated people and their loved ones in San Mateo, California
Learn More