Come join the campaign to reclaim democracy for the people by fighting for free and fair elections and against the abuse of power! Free Speech For People is a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization, founded in January 2010 after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision. Since then, we have worked to renew our democracy and reclaim our Constitution for We the People, and not for big money and corporate interests. We’re accepting applications for 2026 summer internships in our Legal Advocacy Program. 

What do we do? Our summer 2026 projects will build on our democracy work. Here are some examples of work we’ve been doing lately: 

• Fighting to hold government officials accountable for their actions. We are undertaking several projects to challenge the threat that Trump’s second administration poses to the people of our country, our democracy, and our Constitution, including (1) calling upon Congress to impeach Trump and key officials in his administration for their abuses of power; (2) encouraging local and state officials to prosecute crimes committed by ICE and other federal officers in their jurisdictions; and (3) filing amicus briefs in support of lawsuits to block the Trump administration’s erosion of constitutional protections like birthright citizenship (CASA v. Trump) and the writ of habeas corpus (Suri v. Trump).  

• Fighting for free and fair elections. We have active litigation in Texas and Arizona to challenge voter suppression laws; have fully briefed two appeals in a case against an extremist organization in Colorado for intimidating voters; obtained settlements against corporate defendants in a case challenging the dissemination of AI-generated voter intimidation robocalls; and are litigating on behalf of intervenor-defendants to challenge a voter suppression lawsuit in Nevada. Our fight to protect the right to vote and our elections will continue ahead of the 2026 midterms. 

• Fighting big money in politics and corporate abuse of power. We’ve helped develop, pass, and defend cutting-edge campaign finance legislation in multiple jurisdictions to end political spending by corporations with significant foreign ownership, and we’re working to help pass similar laws in several other states. We’ve also filed amicus briefs in support of Maine’s law to end super PACs. 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 to defend our democracy. Completing a Con Law and/or First Amendment course by the start of the internship is a plus but not essential.  

What will you do? A number of different things! Examples include: researching impact litigation, working on an amicus brief, drafting legislation, or making public record requests. Our goal is for each intern to leave with at least one writing sample that they can use in the future, and we provide detailed feedback on writing assignments and opportunities to practice oral advocacy.  

Where’s the office? We are accepting applications from students anywhere in the United States. The internship can be carried out remotely; for interns who are in or near Boston, Massachusetts, we can offer a hybrid option in our Sharon office. 

When would the internship be? The internship is generally full-time for 8-12 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 a 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.