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09/23/2026
VICTORY! An Iowa judge has dismissed Trump’s lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer, ruling that the First Amendment bars the “consumer fraud” lawsuit.
Trump claimed Selzer’s 2024 poll, which at one point predicted Kamala Harris leading by three points in Iowa but ultimately missed the final result by a wide margin, constituted “fake news” and “fraud.”
But commentary and predictions about political elections is core protected speech. “Fake news” is a political buzzword, not a legal cause of action.
Since the poll’s release, Selzer has explained her methodology and publicly shared her poll’s crosstabs and questionnaire.
But let’s be clear: This was never about “consumer fraud.” Trump’s lawsuit was about intimidating perceived critics into silence by making them waste time and money defending perfectly legal speech. That’s called a SLAPP suit, where the lawsuit is the punishment.
The First Amendment does not allow anyone in government, least of all the president, to punish people under the banner of “fake news.”
FIRE is pleased that the court recognized that.
🔗: https://www.fire.org/news/victory-iowa-judge-dismisses-trumps-lawsuit-against-pollster-j-ann-selzer
09/22/2026
WEBINAR: Last week, the Trump administration banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, with President Trump citing their "constant reporting of fake news." Barring journalists from the White House because of their coverage raises serious First Amendment concerns and strikes at the heart of a free and independent press.
Join FIRE experts as they break down what happened, why it matters for press freedom, and what the First Amendment has to say about it. And bring your questions!
🔗: https://thefire-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/4917900886209/WN_kvTYz56aQdO3szouicq5OA #/registration
LAWSUIT: A Tennessee man was arrested by eight armed officers in a home raid after filming police misconduct.
Today, we’re announcing his lawsuit against Kingsport police for violating his First Amendment rights. In a free country, you should be able to criticize the police without waking up in handcuffs.
In October 2022, Joshua Gibbons filmed a Kingsport Police SUV speeding at night without lights or sirens, which violated department policy. He later caught up with the officer at a fast-food drive-thru, filmed for 62 seconds and posted both videos online.
Before dawn the next morning, while Gibbons was still in bed, eight armed officers arrived at his mother’s home with a warrant for his arrest.
The charges that prompted such a serious response? Speeding, using a cellphone while driving, and disorderly conduct.
A judge dismissed the speeding and cellphone charges but convicted Gibbons of disorderly conduct, saying he was “offended by the way” Gibbons was “talking to that officer.”
Gibbons appealed. At a second trial, a jury again found him guilty.
But in June, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously reversed the conviction and dismissed the disorderly conduct charge. The court found “no evidence” that Gibbons’ criticism prevented anyone from doing anything lawful.
The court also made clear that even “profane and insulting” words alone aren’t a crime, especially when directed at police officers, who are trained to exercise restraint.
With FIRE’s help, Gibbons is taking his First Amendment lawsuit public.
Filming and criticizing police are protected by the First Amendment. Joshua, along with all Americans, shouldn’t face arrest for exercising those rights. Kingsport PD needs to hear that message loud and clear.
🔗: https://www.fire.org/news/lawsuit-fire-announces-lawsuit-against-tennessee-police-department-over-pre-dawn-raid-critics
Mizzou is investigating professor Wayne Brekhus over comments he made about the university’s DEI changes in a video recorded several months ago.
But the First Amendment protects professors’ rights to discuss scholarship and teaching. Negative attention from the public doesn’t make that speech punishable.
FIRE has reached out to Mizzou for answers. If this viral video is the crux of Mizzou’s investigation, then it must end the investigation and clear Brekhus of wrongdoing.
📝: https://www.fire.org/news/mizzou-investigates-professor-over-months-old-remarks-about-dei
09/21/2026
“Fake News” — that’s why President Trump says he banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Since our country’s founding, presidents have bristled at the press. What’s different here is barring entire news organizations from the White House grounds because the president dislikes their reporting.
Now the three outlets have sued. “This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” they allege in their complaint.
The outlets also point to a nearly 130-year tradition of independent reporting stationed inside the White House. While an independent press can trace its roots all the way to the founding, the tradition of having reporters stationed permanently inside the White House began taking shape in the late 1890s
🔗: https://www.fire.org/news/trumps-white-house-press-ban-clashes-130-years-independent-reporting-and-law
09/21/2026
A college newspaper editor was suspended for two years for doing his job: editing.
Now, he’s suing UT Dallas.
Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez was editor-in-chief of UT Dallas’ student newspaper. When a student submitted a letter about antisemitism on campus, Gregorio and other editors asked the author to back up factual claims. After those concerns weren’t addressed, they published the letter with a disclaimer noting that some claims lacked credible sources.
UT Dallas investigated him for discrimination and ultimately imposed a two-year deferred suspension that continues to hang over his head, ready to drop.
FIRE has worked on Gregorio’s case for months, urging UT Dallas to rescind his suspension and clear his record. Now, with a FIRE Legal Network attorney, Gregorio is taking the fight to court to protect his right to report, edit, and publish without university discipline.
The First Amendment protects journalists’ right to investigate and report, even when a university doesn’t like what gets published. It’s time for UTD to recognize that.
🔗:https://www.fire.org/sites/default/files/2026/09/1%20Original%20Complaint.pdf
09/20/2026
Free speech never goes out of style. 🇺🇸
Celebrate your First Amendment right to wear what you want.
Shop now: https://shop.fire.org/
09/20/2026
An important reminder from one of America’s Founders.
A free society needs people who aren’t afraid to speak their minds.
Join the movement that makes it possible: https://www.thefire.org/donate?form=sm
"The government isn't supposed to like the press. The press isn't there to make the government happy. . . . It is not there to be a mouthpiece of the government.
"This isn't Russia. This isn't China. This is America."
📺: This Week Jonathan Karl
It makes a First Amendment lawyer’s job easy when the president announces that he’s engaging in viewpoint discrimination.
FIRE President & CEO Greg Lukianoff appeared on Michael Smerconish's CNN show this morning to discuss the White House press ban.
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