Institute For Free Speech
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Political Spending: Civic Engagement is Not a Threat to Democracy
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The First Amendment guarantees every American freedom of speech. That freedom includes the right to spend money on speech. Without money, a political group cannot buy ads, print fliers, organize protests, or hire staff. Short of shouting one’s opinions on a street corner, it takes money to spread a message. Recognizing this relationship, the Supreme Court has long prohibited the…

Campaign Finance Regulations Don’t Exist to Make Politicians’ Lives Easier
August 31, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , , ,

Issue One’s series of interviews with former lawmakers continued last week with a discussion featuring Charlie Bass, a Republican Congressman from New Hampshire from ...

Spending money in politics is part of our cherished freedom of speech
August 25, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

Every American knows about the right to free speech. It’s a principle that is deeply ingrained into us from a young age. It’s also ...

“Dark Money” Fell in 2016, but is that Good News?
August 24, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

How transparent is political spending in the United States? Data from the 2016 election cycle may surprise you. So-called “dark money” actually went down, ...

Did Dean Heller Really “Change” His Vote on Health Care Because of Donor Pressure?
August 2, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

When it comes to the complexity of American politics, the multi-month effort by congressional Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (also ...

What’s The Matter With Election Spending?
June 28, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

American politics is corrupt. Big donors buy elections. Voters have no say in their government. These clichés are completely untrue. Sadly, many Americans take ...

Mainstream Media Baffled by National Interest in Georgia Special Election

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June 23, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  ,

Following the Senate’s confirmation of former Representative Tom Price as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in early February 2017, all eyes have ...

New York Times Rewrites History To Cast GOP Climate Stance As New
June 14, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

Name a problem in politics, and somebody will blame Citizens United for it. Corruption, gridlock, negative campaigning—but also gun violence, taxes, and bad health-care ...

No, Taxpayer Financing of Campaigns Won’t Stop Out-of-State Political Spending
June 13, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

The special election for the U.S. House seat for Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District is attracting a great deal of attention from the media. The ...

Saying American businesses spend ‘dark money’ harms our democracy
June 12, 2017   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Imagine you own a business. You make widgets. You have 50 employees, and you are looking to expand. But a local politician, Mayor Grouch, ...

Bernie Sanders and Rick Hasen Are Two Sides of the Same Defective Coin on Free Speech
June 8, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

Recently, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders sat down with professor Rick Hasen of the University of California, Irvine School of Law. In their conversation, they ...

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