Come join the campaign to reclaim democracy for the people by fighting for free and fair elections, and accountability for presidential corruption and abuse of power, in the summer of 2022! Free Speech For People, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization, was founded in 2010 after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision.  We’re working to renew our democracy and reclaim our Constitution for We the People, not big money and corporate interests. We’re accepting applications for 2022 summer internships in our Legal Advocacy Program.

What do we do? Here are some of the highlights of our recent major projects to fight for free and fair elections, confront the influence of big money in politics, and challenge corruption and abuse of power. Our summer 2022 work will, of course, differ from past work but will build on similar themes.

Fighting for free and fair elections. In 2021, we filed lawsuits challenging new voter suppression laws in Arizona and Texas, and finalized a sweeping consent decree restricting a private mercenary company that had threatened to send ex-special forces operatives to Minnesota’s polling places. And we continue to challenge federal and state government agencies that wave through unreliable electronic voting machines. We’ll continue our fight for free and fair elections in 2022.

Fighting corruption and abuse of power in the courts and elsewhere. We’ve sued the Federal Election Commission for its failure to investigate coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and challenged the Biden administration’s decision to withhold Pentagon records of former President Trump’s plans for a military parade. Through our ground-breaking 14point3 campaign, we’ve urged state elections officials to disqualify from the ballot any past officeholders (including Trump) who helped facilitate the January 6 investigation. We’ll continue to hold Trump and other high-level January 6 insurrectionists legally accountable, even if they’re no longer in office. And we will remain vigilant in challenging corruption at all levels of our government.

Fighting big money in politics and corporate abuse of power. We’ve helped develop and pass cutting-edge campaign finance legislation in Seattle that has ended political spending by corporations partly owned by foreign investors, and we’ve helped defend public interest laws against corporate challenges. We’ll continue to work with local, state, and federal legislators on bold reforms to fight big money in politics and corporate abuse of power.

Who are you? We’re looking for rising 2Ls or 3Ls who are dedicated to public interest work, write well, and are excited to work for a non-profit leading cutting-edge legal initiatives. Con Law (especially First Amendment) is a plus but not essential. In rare cases, we will also consider undergraduates.

What will you do? You might be researching impact litigation, or working on an amicus brief, or drafting legislation, or creating educational resources. Or something totally different. But you definitely won’t be doing doc review.

Where’s the office? Due to uncertainty about the COVID pandemic, we are accepting applications from students anywhere in the United States. If the conditions improve, interns who are in or near Boston, Massachusetts may be able to work from our legal office based in Newton.

When would the internship be? The internship is generally full-time for 8-10 weeks, but we would consider a split summer for an exceptional candidate.

What is the compensation? Applicants must first seek funding through their law school internship or field placement programs, scholarships, or another third-party source. Free Speech For People will provide supplemental funding if needed to ensure that students who have exhausted all external public funding sources receive $600 per week of work.

How do you apply? Send cover letter, resume, transcript, writing sample, and three references (including at least one law school professor) to internship (at) freespeechforpeople (dot) org. Applications are considered on a rolling basis.

Free Speech For People is an affirmative action employer and recruits, employs, retains, and promotes persons in a manner that does not discriminate against any person because of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, veteran status, or physical or mental ability which is unrelated to job performance.