Brotherhood and sisterhood are forced to take a backseat to bureaucracy and suppression in Greek Life at @GallaudetU. Their new Greek Reform Guidelines impose sweeping rules that ban words like “pledge,” control student attire at events, and restrict who can become members.

A federal court has vindicated the rights of a @USD professor who was set to be fired for social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s murder. This decision confirms what FIRE has long said—the First Amendment protects faculty’s personal speech on matters of public concern.

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression @thefireorg.bsky.social · 11mo ago

BREAKING: A University of South Dakota professor filed a federal lawsuit today after the university moved to fire him over a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, following pressure from top state officials. FIRE supports Professor Hook’s efforts to defend his First Amendment rights.

Texas’s Angelo State University reportedly has an unwritten policy that bans faculty from discussing “transgender topics,” using students’ preferred names, or displaying LGBTQ flags. As a public university, ASU must allow faculty to teach students as they see fit.

The University of Missouri doubles down on cancelling a student event for using “Black” in the name, claiming students might think it was racially exclusive. Yet Mizzou has no issue with its own Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center or Black Studies courses. Pot, meet kettle.

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression @thefireorg.bsky.social · 12mo ago

The University of Missouri canceled a Black student group’s back-to-school event for using “Black” in the event name. Yes, you read that right. Administrators decided the punny name was discriminatory and “race exclusive.”

Google should not have waited to acknowledge it was pressured by the Biden administration to block content on its platforms. Google condemns jawboning now, but it failed to stand up for the rights of its users when it mattered.

BREAKING: A University of South Dakota professor filed a federal lawsuit today after the university moved to fire him over a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, following pressure from top state officials. FIRE supports Professor Hook’s efforts to defend his First Amendment rights.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s defenders say he didn’t pressure ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel. The complete timeline of events proves a different story. ✍🏻: Tyler Tone www.thefire.org/news/carrs-t...

Carr’s threats to ABC are jawboning any way you slice it

ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel hours after FCC Chair Brendan Carr suggested they could face consequences for remarks Kimmel made in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder.

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FIRE’s Bob Corn-Revere for @PostOpinions: FCC Chair Brendan Carr nakedly abused government power to pressure ABC into removing Jimmy Kimmel from the air for his speech. In America, the government doesn’t get to play network executive and determine who and what you watch.

The firing of Clemson University faculty members for posts about the murder of Charlie Kirk is the start of a troubling national trend. FIRE reminds Clemson and all public universities that protected speech remains protected, even in tragedy.

On Constitution Day, we honor the principles that make America strong and remember that its survival depends on us. Introducing Soapbox: FIRE’s bold new conference to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with high-impact keynotes, timely panels, and unforgettable entertainment.

WEBINAR: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says hate speech isn’t free speech—but the Supreme Court has declared otherwise. Join FIRE as we unpack Bondi’s remarks, explain what the law actually says, and respond to the latest free speech news from the past week.

President Trump suggested today that media outlets are engaging in “hate speech” by being “unfair” to him and “maybe” should be prosecuted. Trump’s statement demonstrates the inherent danger of “hate speech” laws: Those in power will always weaponize them to silence dissent.

There is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment. Nevertheless, the attorney general says "there's free speech, and then there's hate speech," and the government will "target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech."

After Charlie Kirk’s murder, the cancel culture machine has kicked into gear, with mob mentality driving firings, investigations, and political pressure. FIRE's Adam Goldstein looks at how tragedy affects our culture of free speech. ⬇️ www.thefire.org/news/we-are-...

We are in the cancel culture part of the tragedy cycle

Cancel culture ends when we decide that people can be horrifically wrong and still entitled to the grace that enables us all to grow from our worst moments.

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Student acceptance of violence to silence speakers is at a record high. In 2020, 1 in 5 students said violence was acceptable to stop a speaker. In 2025, that number is 1 in 3. That’s a 79% increase in just five years. And it’s chilling.

“Free speech is what we do instead of violence. Civilization started the day man first cast a word instead of a stone.” We must not lose sight of this civilization-defining distinction. 🎙️: @nicoperrino.bsky.social 📺: @cnn.com

BREAKING: Charlie Kirk was shot during an event at Utah Valley University today. Details of the incident are still unfolding. Political violence is never an acceptable response to speech. Free speech allows us to settle our differences peacefully and is essential to a free and democratic society.

Yesterday, after a video of a student complaining about discussions of gender identity in a Texas A&M “Literature for Children” class went viral, Governor Greg Abbott demanded on X that Texas A&M President Mark Welsh fire Professor Melissa McCoul for the content of her course.

Who’s winning and who’s failing at campus free speech? Join FIRE for a special webinar on the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings—and what it means for American colleges and universities. Register today and bring your questions to the live Q&A! 🔥

BREAKING: FIRE’s 2026 College Free Speech Rankings reveal America’s colleges are failing. The nation’s report card on campus speech shows over half of colleges received an “F” rating. Intolerance in students has skyrocketed in the Trump 2.0 era.

The Florida State Board of Education is pushing school districts to remove library books under a state law restricting descriptions of “sexual conduct,” even threatening criminal charges. But a federal court just held the law to be overbroad and unconstitutional.

What happens when the government “enforces” the law by ignoring it? The answer hit the Trump administration hard. A federal court ruled this week that the government crossed the line when it froze billions in @harvard.edu’s funding—just as FIRE has publicly argued. 🧵

UTC is backpedaling on its Greek life ban, ending it early and referring to it as a temporary “pause.” But last time we checked, the First Amendment isn’t a TV show, and admins don’t get a remote. Blatant censorship isn’t a pause—it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression @thefireorg.bsky.social · 11mo ago

The party’s over at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. UTC suspended all 25 campus fraternities and sororities after public reports of misconduct from two chapters. Rather than punish the perpetrators, UTC banned groups that did nothing wrong merely because they shared a Greek alphabet.

BREAKING: Free speech doesn’t stop when the sun sets—but Texas thinks it does. A new Texas law forces public universities to ban virtually all expressive activities after 10 PM, a violation of the First Amendment. That’s why FIRE is suing to stop this chilling law in its tracks.

1/ No government officials can memory-hole their own speech in an attempt to hide their past statements from the public. Doing it through improper copyright complaints is no less censorship than a direct government order.

Renee DiResta@noupside.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Vinay Prasad had YouTube censor Jonathan Howard’s channel because he didn’t like how it made him look. A petty act by a vindictive, unqualified hack. And more evidence that these frEe sPeEcH warriors have always been petty censors out to silence criticism that they just can’t cope with.

Schools should be a place where students can share ideas. But in Montgomery County, VA, speaking up could get you sent to the principal’s office. A new hate speech policy says students and staff could face discipline for speech that “disparages” others—disruptive or not.

The party’s over at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. UTC suspended all 25 campus fraternities and sororities after public reports of misconduct from two chapters. Rather than punish the perpetrators, UTC banned groups that did nothing wrong merely because they shared a Greek alphabet.

STATEMENT: President Trump may believe he has the power to revise the First Amendment with the stroke of a pen, but he doesn’t. Flag burning as a form of political protest is protected by the First Amendment. That’s nothing new.

The University of Missouri canceled a Black student group’s back-to-school event for using “Black” in the event name. Yes, you read that right. Administrators decided the punny name was discriminatory and “race exclusive.”

A Columbus, OH high school reportedly warned students not to speak to the press after a problematic bathroom policy caused long lines, UTIs, and girls menstruating through their clothes. FIRE stepped in—securing a commitment to student speech rights in the Buckeye State.