Organizations Urge Congress to Investigate Justice Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Posted on April 18, 2019 (April 18, 2019) Impeachment On April 11, 2019, Free Speech For People joined Demand Justice and a coalition of sexual assault survivors’ organizations and other progressive groups to urge House Democrats to investigate Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation. Free Speech For People first called for an impeachment investigation of Brett Kavanaugh in October 2018, due to multiple allegationsRead More
Amicus Brief by Election Security Experts Highlights Major Flaws in South Carolina Election Systems Posted on April 17, 2019 (April 17, 2019) “With this brief, election security experts are sounding the alarm about the vulnerability of voting systems in South Carolina and in other states using electronic voting machines which cannot be trusted for properly counting our votes. With the 2020 election looming, this case provides the opportunity for the courts to intervene and protect the fundamentalRead More
Response to Arguments Against Closing New York’s Pardon Loophole Posted on April 12, 2019 (April 12, 2019) Free Speech For People has issued a memorandum responding to arguments that have been raised against closing New York’s presidential pardon loophole. As explained in the New York Daily News by Ron Fein and Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe, current New York state law could allow certain defendants pardoned by the president for their federalRead More
Former Montana Supreme Court Justice James Nelson: Trump must be bound by Constitutional chains Posted on April 11, 2019 In an important new oped for the the Independent Record, former Montana Supreme Court Justice James C. Nelson discusses why we must hold President Trump accountable for his violations of the US Constitution, our democratic values, and the rule of law. Our Constitution and the rules, guardrails, norms and values that it embodies must beRead More
Organizations Call on New York Legislature to Pass Bill Closing Double Jeopardy Loophole Posted on April 10, 2019 (April 12, 2019) Today, Free Speech For People, and a coalition of national organizations, issued a letter to the New York legislature in support of a bill pending before the state legislature to close the double jeopardy loophole in New York State before the President begins to issue pardons. New York State law may currently allow certain defendantsRead More
Public Interest Groups to EPA: Constitution Forbids Weakening Clean Water Protections to Benefit Trump’s Golf Courses Posted on April 5, 2019 (April 15, 2019) Challenging Corruption Free Speech For People and the New Jersey-based Raritan Headwaters Association filed a comment arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are constitutionally prohibited from relaxing a Clean Water Act protection so as to benefit presidentially-owned golf courses. Background The process for this rule has been somewhat complex. In 2015,Read More
Ron Fein on Rising Up With Sonali: What Does the End of the Mueller Probe Mean? Posted on April 3, 2019 Last week, Free Speech For People Legal Director, Ron Fein, sat down with Sonali Kolhatkar, on Rising Up With Sonali, to discuss the end of the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and its implications for Trump’s future. In his summary, Attorney General William Barr quotes Mueller’s report directly: “while this report does not concludeRead More
Ron Fein and Larry Tribe for the New York Daily News: Close N.Y.’s double jeopardy loophole before Trump starts issuing pardons Posted on April 2, 2019 (April 10, 2019) In an editorial for the New York Daily News, Free Speech For People Legal Director, Ron Fein, and Harvard Law Professor, Laurence Tribe, discuss the urgent need for the New York Legislature to close a double jeopardy loophole in state law which may currently allow certain defendants pardoned by the president for their federal crimesRead More
Campaign Finance Without Facts: McCutcheon v. FEC on its Fifth Anniversary Posted on April 2, 2019 (April 2, 2019) Democracy Amendments April 2 is the five-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. In that case, the Court struck down contribution limits that limited any one person from giving more than $123,200 to all federal campaigns, parties, and political committees combined. The Court dismissed as “divorced from reality” concerns about howRead More
Help Close the Double-Jeopardy Loophole in New York State for Defendants Pardoned by the President Posted on April 1, 2019 (May 13, 2020) Challenging Corruption Join Free Speech For People for a call with the New York Attorney General’s office to learn more about the bill pending in the New York Legislature to close the double jeopardy loophole in New York state. The loophole that exists currently makes it difficult, if not impossible, for New York prosecutors to hold defendantsRead More