Freedom IndexLegal & Courts
Legal & Courts tracks major cases, rulings, and legislative battles impacting freedom of speech and digital rights. Covering court decisions, lawsuits, and evolving laws, this category provides insights into the legal frameworks shaping expression and censorship around the world.
This essay was originally published in The Free Press on Jan. 21, 2026. Three days later, ICE agents shot and…
A federal judge in Massachusetts has unsealed records that he relied on to conclude last year that the Trump administration’s…
On Saturday, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse named Alex Pretti was shot and killed by United States Border Patrol agents in…
In 2023, FIRE raised the following question: What’s going on in Florida? In light of recent affronts to academic freedom in…
On Thursday, a federal judge unsealed internal government documents shining a light into how the Trump administration targeted pro-Palestinian foreign students…
Recent protests in Iran have drawn renewed attention to dissent under the country’s authoritarian government. The demonstrations have been met…
Recent events in Minnesota — where anti-ICE protesters interrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, targeted pastor David Easterwood…
A Pennsylvania judge has ordered state police to release body-worn camera footage capturing a car chase that ended in a…
A Tennessee judge has ordered the state to provide journalists expanded access to execution proceedings, finding that its restrictions on…
On Jan. 7, the House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Seth Harp, an investigative journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone, for…
This essay was originally published by UnHerd on Jan. 20, 2026.“This is freedom of speech. This is America, right?”Those were…
For more than 80 years, the law has been clear. The government can’t force public school children to stand and…