Articles

Oral argument on Seattle’s ‘democracy voucher’ program

October 24, 2017 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

This Friday will be a big day for the First Amendment: a court will hear oral argument in Elster v. City of Seattle, PLF’s challenge to Seattle’s “democracy voucher” program. This is a vital case for the First Amendment’s uneasy relationship with campaign-finance laws, and the hearing is public. Here are the details: ...

Articles

Can government force you to pay for someone else’s expression?

October 12, 2017 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

Think on these three statements: A law forbids you from posting a sign that says, “Vote for Voldemort.” A law forces you to post a sign that says, “Vote for Voldemort.” A law forces you to pay for someone else’s sign that says, “Vote for Voldemort.” Should the First Amendment treat these laws differently? ...

Articles

Supreme Court denies cert in Minority TV free speech case

June 30, 2014 | By ANASTASIA BODEN

Today the Supreme Court denied cert in a First Amendment challenge to the FCC’s ban on certain types of paid advertising on public television stations. The ban prohibits commercials for for-profit businesses and politicians, but allows the stations to broadcast ads for non-profit entities. The Minority Television Project (Minority TV), a publ ...

Articles

PLF asks US Supreme Court to hear broadcasters out

April 18, 2014 | By ANASTASIA BODEN

For years, FCC has prohibited public broadcasters from showing paid advertisements by for-profit entities or political candidates.  So when Minority TV—a non-profit channel out of San Francisco—aired advertisements for Korean Air, Gingko Biloba Tea, and the like, FCC scrambled to silence them (and fine them $10,000.)  Minority TV sought refug ...

Articles

Pres. Obama : the Individual Mandate is not a tax

October 31, 2012 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

It’s very revealing that, five months after the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision, President Obama himself still does not endorse the decision that supposedly upheld the constitutionality of the law. Ever since the Court’s decision in late June, the Administration has refused to endorse Chief Justice Roberts’ conclusion tha ...

Articles

The media has shamefully distorted Citizens United

February 09, 2012 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

Color me surprised. … ...

Articles

First Amendment victory

January 21, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author:  Damien M. Schiff Today the Supreme Court handed down a landmark victory for free speech protections.  In Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, the Court (in an opinion authored by Justice Kennedy and joined by the Chief Justice, with Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito) overruled two decisions—Austin and McConne ...

Articles

Fighting for political speech in the Supreme Court

August 03, 2009 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Author:  Damien M. Schiff Last week, PLF filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the appellant in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Citizens United, a conservative nonprofit corporation that specializes in political documentaries with a right-of-center perspective, produced Hillary: The Movie, a feature-length movie, DVD ...