Free Speech

Protect Free Speech From Harassing Lawsuits

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Deep-pocketed individuals and corporations have been turning to civil lawsuits to silence their opponents. These Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPPs, aren’t designed to win on the merits, but rather to harass journalists, activists, and consumers into silence by suing them over their protected speech.

Now there’s a bill in Congress that will allow speakers targeted by SLAPPs to fight back, by getting the lawsuits quickly thrown out of federal court, and allow for SLAPP victims to get their legal fees back. The Free Speech Protection Act, H.R. 10310, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), will protect people from getting sued just for exercising their constitutional rights.

34 states and Washington, D.C. have some sort of anti-SLAPP law. The effective ones, such as California’s law, allow for SLAPP lawsuits to be quickly identified and thrown out of court. These laws have passed on a bipartisan basis and have successfully protected speakers of all backgrounds and political views. But there’s no federal anti-SLAPP law, and many states have no SLAPP protections at all.

The First Amendment gives power to anyone who wants to speak out. We can voice our views on our own blogs or social media, work with an activist organization, and protest in person. Civil lawsuits brought by the wealthy and powerful must not be a tool for trampling on those rights.

Tell your members of Congress to support the Free Speech Protection Act today.

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