Table of Contents
Associated Press Covers Marshall Victory
The Associated Press reported on FIRE’s victory at Marshall University, where the school offered three orientation courses for “African-American students only.” Marshall dropped the racially exclusive language after FIRE sent the university a letter warning that such classes violated state and federal law, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The article reports that Marshall defended the policy as an effort by black faculty members to help African-American students “form a bond” in a “predominantly white community.” Regardless of intention, separate but equal was done away with in 1954 when the Supreme Court decided Brown vs. Board of Education.
Recent Articles
FIRE’s award-winning Newsdesk covers the free speech news you need to stay informed.
Free speech still reigns, but faces setbacks online
This term, the Supreme Court mostly stood firm in defending the First Amendment — but two decisions show how easily free speech can be sidelined in the name of national security or child protection.
Free Speech Forum empowers next generation of First Amendment heroes
A week of dialogue, debate, and discovery, this year’s forum united students from across the country to explore free expression and build lasting connections.
Supreme Court case upholding age-verification for online adult content newly references 'partially protected speech,' gives it lesser First Amendment scrutiny
In FSC v. Paxton, the Court lowers First Amendment protections for adult sites, upholding Texas’ age-verification law and coining a new category — “partially protected speech.”
All that glitters is not gold: A brief history of efforts to rebrand social media censorship
Lawmakers are rebranding online speech regulations as child safety or consumer protection, but the First Amendment isn’t fooled. This piece unpacks the censorship hiding behind the spin.