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Research & Learn

Explore ��֭��'s library of resources and research on free speech and other civil liberties.

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Issue Pages

Viewpoint neutrality and student fees on campus

Mandatory fees, the funding of student groups, and the often arbitrary standards by which such funding occurs raise issues of the highest constitutional and moral importance.

Podcasts

The Supreme Court's decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton

FIRE staff responds to the Court's decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton that addresses a Texas law requiring age verification for accessing certain sexual material online. Joining us: -- Legal director -- Chief counsel --...

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Issue Pages

Faculty speech rights at public universities

Faculty members are often shocked to learn that many of the same rules that apply to employees of the postal service also apply to professors at public universities.

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Issue Pages

Academic freedom of professors and colleges

The best protection from restrictions on faculty classroom speech may come not from the First Amendment, but from the school’s individual academic freedom policy.

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Issue Pages

Sexual harassment at private colleges

Private colleges are allowed to establish strict rules governing student conduct, as long as their regulations do not violate anti-discrimination laws or other statutes.

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Issue Pages

State protections for speech at private colleges

Too often, students and student groups at private colleges and universities face discipline not for conduct, but for so-called “offensive” speech.

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Issue Pages

Procedural protections in academic cases

Student misconduct cases involving academic issues, such as grading and plagiarism, require lesser procedural protections because universities have greater leeway to make academic determinations.

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Issue Pages

Procedural fairness at private universities

Even when a private college does not promise fair practices in its student handbook, other legal doctrines beyond contract law are available.

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Issue Pages

Due process at public universities

FIREfacing possible suspension or expulsion from public colleges and universities are entitled to due process protections because their liberty and property are at stake.

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Issue Pages

Standards of proof and campus due process

There are broad limits to the university’s right to convict an individual on little or virtually no evidence.

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Reports

2025 Mid-Year Impact Report

In the first half of 2025, FIREstood up for free speech on the national stage, defended everyday Americans, and took on cutting-edge issues like AI.

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Reports

How much are colleges spending on overhead?

Over the past four decades, America’s colleges have quietly shifted billions in resources from the classroom to administrative overhead.

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Issue Pages

What free speech rights do government employees have?

Does the First Amendment protect public employees when they speak? It depends.

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Issue Pages

Your yard, your rights: Lawn signs and the First Amendment

Local governments may regulate sign displays in some ways, but the First Amendment protects residents from viewpoint-based or arbitrary restrictions.

Interviews

So to Speak podcast transcript: Censoring lawmakers, T-shirts, and seashells

We discuss the Supreme Court backing Maine lawmaker Laurel Libby, NPR filing suit against Trump, a years-long dispute over a student wearing a “there are only two genders” shirt, the Secret Service investigation into James Comey, the latest on Harvard vs. Trump, and more.