Email from The Institute for Free Speech The Latest News from the Institute for Free Speech June 13, 2025 Click here to subscribe to the Daily Media Update. This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Supreme Court Washington Post: Peak absurdity on campaign finance reform heads to the Supreme Court By George F. Will .....Developments in recent decades reflect diminished respect for the First Amendment. These include campus speech codes, political pressure for censorship on social media platforms, and a society-wide “cancel culture” that inspires self-censorship lest “harmful” speech “trigger” offended hearers. The most serious speech-regulation began half a century ago, under the antiseptic rubric of “campaign finance reform.” On Wednesday, the Supreme Court can begin removing another shackle reformers have clamped on political speech. The court will consider taking a case about whether the First Amendment is violated by limits on what political parties can spend in coordination with their candidates’ campaigns. Ed. note: Read our amicus brief in NRSC v. FEC here. The Courts Politico: Trump lawyers ask appeals court to move his hush money case to federal court By Erica Orden .....One year after his criminal conviction in the Manhattan hush money case, Donald Trump is still fighting to shed his felon status. The president’s personal lawyers appeared before a federal appeals court Wednesday, urging a three-judge panel to transfer his state criminal case to federal court. Such a move would pave the way for him to eventually ask the Supreme Court to erase his criminal record by throwing out his conviction on presidential immunity grounds. The arguments continue Trump’s long-running attempt to take the case out of state court, including two previous efforts both denied by a federal judge. AP News: Judge says government must release Columbia protester Mahmoud Khalil, but has until Friday to appeal By Jake Offenhartz and Philip Marcelo .....A federal judge has ruled that the government must release Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University graduate student whom the Trump administration is trying to deport over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. But Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, will remain in custody until at least Friday, giving the government time to appeal, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz in New Jersey said Wednesday. Courthouse News: Sixth Circuit hears case on ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ and school censorship By Kevin Koeninger .....The right-wing catchphrase "Let's Go Brandon" — known by most to be a euphemism for "Fuck Joe Biden" — cannot be censored by school officials because it includes no profane language, two students argued Thursday at the Sixth Circuit. Election Law Blog: Georgia county Republicans have standing to challenge primary ballot rules that “forced” them to associated with unwanted candidates, Eleventh Circuit holds By Derek Muller .....The decision in the Eleventh Circuit is an unpublished per curiam opinion, but a reversal of the trial court–something of a rare combination of events, in my view. The summary of Catoosa County Republican Party v. Catoosa County Board of Elections: Congress Ballot Access News: U.S. Senator Josh Hawley Demands to See Internal Communications and Donor Lists from Party for Socialism and Liberation and Many Other Groups Thought to Have Helped Organize Demonstrations By Richard Winger .....On June 11, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to many organizations, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, thought to have helped organize demonstrations concerning actions by the federal government on immigration. The letter wants each group to furnish: 1. All internal communications, including emails, text messages, chart logs, and messaging applications, relating to protest planning, coordination, or funding; 2. All financial documents relating to protests, demonstrations, or mobilization efforts in Los Angeles or elsewhere relating to immigration enforcement; 3. All third-party contracts or vendor agreements, including any arrangements with event organizers, transportation providers, security personnel, or communications consultants relating to immigration enforcement of the Los Angelesprotests, or similar protests elsewhere; 4. Grant applications, funding proposals that relate to or reference immigration enforcement; 5. Travel and lodging records for individuals or groups supported or reimbursed in connection with protest activities; 6. Media or public relations strategies, including talking points, press releases, and coordination with journalists or influencers relating to immigration protests; 7. Donor lists. The letter ends by saying, “Failure to comply will result in additional action by this Subcommittee, including potential referral for criminal investigations.” Politico (Inside Congress Live): House Ethics Committee will review campaign activity guidance By Hailey Fuchs .....The House Ethics Committee is launching a subpanel to review its guidance on campaign activities. The notoriously secretive, bipartisan committee announced Thursday that the new working group would be led by Texas Reps. Nathaniel Moran, a Republican, and Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat. The two members will “review and make recommendations to improve, clarify, and modernize the Committee’s guidance regarding campaign activity by House Members, officers, and employees.” NBC News: Congress Sen. Alex Padilla is forcibly removed from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles By Rebecca Shabad and Jacob Soboroff .....Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday and briefly detained after trying to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "I am Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary," Padilla said to Noem, which prompted several men to physically push him out of the room. It was unclear who the men were as several were dressed in plainclothes. Padilla's office shared a video of the incident with NBC News. The video shows Padilla being taken into a hallway outside and pushed face forward onto the ground as officers with FBI-identifying vests told the senator to put his hands behind his back. The officers then handcuffed him. Online Speech Platforms Oversight Board: More Transparency Needed Over Banned Symbols Linked to Hate Groups .....The Oversight Board has considered three cases involving symbols often used by hate groups, but which can also have other uses. The Board calls on Meta to explain how it creates and enforces its designated symbols list under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals Community Standard. This will provide greater transparency for users. The Board is concerned about the potential overenforcement of references to designated symbols. Meta should develop a system to automatically flag when non-violating content is being removed in large volume. The Board upholds Meta's decisions to remove violating content in two of the cases and to leave the content up in the third case. Independent Groups New York Times: At ‘CPAC of the Center,’ Democratic Moderates Beat Up on the Left By Shane Goldmacher and Reid J. Epstein .....The centrist wing of the Democratic Party gathered on Wednesday in a hotel basement in downtown Washington with a grand plan. The party should start winning, and stop losing… The conference took place at the Hamilton Hotel in Washington as allies of the Blue Dog Coalition, the most moderate faction among House Democrats, are forming a new super PAC and an allied nonprofit group ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Blue Dogs have long had their own PAC but never independent entities that can take unlimited donations. The new nonprofit, which has not been previously reported, will be called the Blue Dog Action Fund, with Aisha Woodward, a former chief of staff to Mr. Golden, serving as executive director and overseeing a staff of five. The States New York Post: Dem power player suing to ensure foreigners can meddle in elections By Caitlin Sutherland and Jason Snead .....Ballot measures seldom get as much attention as contentious races for Congress and the presidency, but they are critically important: They’re a tool intended to allow citizens to vote directly on a state or local policy matter, either by collecting signatures to get the measure on the ballot or by getting lawmakers to place it on the ballot. They can affect everything from tax rates to abortion laws, and foreign billionaires like Wyss are generally free to finance them. This loophole is so absurd that foreign nationals can fund campaigns to rewrite the rules of the very elections they’re banned from influencing. Such ballot campaigns are seeing more and more foreign funding — which is why states across the country are fighting to close the loophole. Sixteen are taking legislative action on it this session; seven passed bills this year, and another did last year. Michigan House Republicans: Rep. Rigas and Sen. Lindsey introduce legislation to ensure accountability for campaign finance violations by Secretary of State .....State Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia) and State Senator Jonathan Lindsey (R-Allen) today introduced House Bill 4642 and Senate Bill 422, a critical amendment to the Michigan Campaign Finance Act (MCFA) aimed at closing a loophole that allows the Secretary of State to evade accountability for campaign finance violations. The plan responds to Attorney General Dana Nessel’s recent finding that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson violated the MCFA yet faced no consequences due to a lack of enforcement mechanisms. The legislation requires complaints involving the Secretary of State, their family, or connected campaigns to be referred to the Attorney General for investigation. It establishes clear procedures for addressing violations through informal resolutions, civil fines, or criminal penalties, while ensuring transparency by mandating public disclosure of complaints and agreements. Chicago Tribune: Editorial: Senate President Don Harmon’s sly legislative maneuver exemplifies the need for campaign finance reform By The Editorial Board .....Potential fixes don’t come without tradeoffs. Eliminating the millionaire’s exemption altogether would open the door again to uber-wealthy candidates (or super PACs controlled by rich individuals) gaining an unfair advantage. But there are some obvious steps Springfield should take. At the very least, an end should be put to making cap-busting donations in the form of loans. And the amount self-funders should have to front ought to be raised substantially from the $100,000 threshold currently applied to state legislative races. Reform for Illinois set forth other constructive suggestions — in 2020. They’re no less relevant today. The Harmon campaign controversy will have done the urgent cause of campaign finance reform an unintended favor if it puts the millionaire’s exemption on Springfield’s agenda. Read an article you think we would be interested in? Send it to Tiffany Donnelly at [email protected]. For email filters, the subject of this email will always begin with "Institute for Free Speech Media Update." The Institute for Free Speech is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and defends the political rights to free speech, press, assembly, and petition guaranteed by the First Amendment. Please support the Institute's mission by clicking here. For further information, visit www.ifs.org. Follow the Institute for Free Speech The Institute for Free Speech | 1150 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 801 | Washington, DC 20036 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice