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Hunt adv. Lombardi: Sergeants-At-Arms Expel Man Wearing 'Pro-Life U' Sweatshirt from Colorado State Senate Gallery

Government officials can’t kick someone out of a public legislative gallery just because they don’t like the message on their shirt.

Gibbons v. Phipps (City of Kingsport): Police Arrest YouTuber After He Posted Videos of Officers Speeding, Waving Middle Finger

PETA v. Tabak

FIREfiled an amicus curiae brief explaining that online “off topic” rules violate the First Amendment, particularly when they employ automated tools like keyword filters.

Damiano v. Grants Pass School District. No. 7

It is well settled that a public school cannot punish a teacher for speaking out as a private citizen on school issues. Yet a federal court in Oregon said the opposite and ruled that school officials were protected by qualified immunity for doing so.

Taylor v. LeBlanc

FIREfiled an amicus brief explaining the historically flawed basis for qualified immunity against Section 1983 lawsuits.

I.P. v. Tullahoma City Schools: A principal’s ego doesn’t override the First Amendment

High schools cannot punish a student for satirizing the principal on social media when the satire occurs off campus and does not cause substantial disruption at school. A principal’s pride is not an exception to the First Amendment.

NRA v. Vullo

The NRA sued the head of New York’s Department of Financial Services, alleging that she made a series of thinly veiled threats.

Berge v. School Committee of Gloucester

When a concerned parent met with his child’s school superintendent, he informed the administration that he would be filming the encounter and potentially sharing it with others. At the time, no one raised any concerns and the school officials allowed him to film—until that parent, plaintiff Inge Berge, posted the video online along with commentary criticizing the school. Suddenly, the school district threatened him with a lawsuit, wrongfully claiming that his recording violated the Massachusetts Wiretapping Statute.

Smith v. Rogers

Jerry Rogers sent emails criticizing the lead detective on a homicide case as “clueless” (among other things). The detective’s colleagues in the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office came to his defense — by violating the law.

Bailey v. Iles

The Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office can’t take a joke. That became clear when one of its detectives, supported by a fully-armed SWAT team, arrested Waylon Bailey for domestic terrorism. His crime? A Facebook post comparing the March 2020 Covid lockdowns to a zombie apocalypse, complete with all-caps text, emojis, and the hashtag “#weneedyoubradpitt”.