Supreme Court: Upholding Free Political Speech

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

Questions about free speech and the First Amendment are often decided at the Supreme Court. Over the years, the Court has dealt with such contentious political speech cases as flag burning, campaign spending limits, and banning political films. While there is typically some disagreement on the Court on any individual case, the Court has long held that for any political…

James L. Buckley: The Man and His Principles

January 28, 2026   •  By Roger Pilon   •  , , ,

A friend profiles Buckley himself, a public servant who spent his life defending constitutional first principles.

Celebrating Buckley v. Valeo: A Landmark of Political Freedom

January 27, 2026   •  By Joel Gora   •  , , ,

An original Buckley litigator shares the inside story of one of America’s most important political speech victories.

Express Advocacy at 50

January 26, 2026   •  By Allison Hayward   •  , , ,

Do you believe in magic words?

Life without Buckley v. Valeo

January 26, 2026   •  By John Samples   •  , , ,

How the decision did and did not change the world.

Buckley and the Appearance of Corruption Standard

January 23, 2026   •  By David Primo   •  , , ,

What social science can tell us.

American Democracy and the Actuality of Corruption

January 23, 2026   •  By Jeff Milyo   •  , , ,

Buckley v. Valeo confines campaign finance regulation to actual corruption, rather than amorphous claims about “undue influence.”

Buckley v. Valeo is Not What Ails American Democracy

January 22, 2026   •  By Ilya Somin   •  , , ,

Those who blame Buckley for our current problems are wrong to do so. A contrary decision would have made things worse.

Expert Panel: A Discussion of the Historic Buckley v. Valeo Decision

January 22, 2026   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

The Institute for Free Speech held a virtual panel with Bradley A. Smith, Joel Gora, and Eugene Volokh to reflect on the history of ...

The Enduring Legacy of Buckley v. Valeo

January 21, 2026   •  By Floyd Abrams   •  , , ,

Despite sustained criticism from all sides, Buckley's core principle persists: government cannot ration political speech.

The Buckley Principles

January 20, 2026   •  By Lee Goodman   •  , , ,

The core First Amendment principles of Buckley v. Valeo endure after fifty years.

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