Comment on Justice Department Strengthening Protections for Journalists
July 19, 2021 2:15 pm
Media Contact
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York,
NY
10004
United States
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department unveiled a protecting journalists’ records after the Trump administration secretly demanded access to those sensitive records on several occasions.
Patrick Toomey, senior staff attorney of the Թֱ’s National Security Project, said:
“This policy is a major step forward in protecting journalists against government spying and safeguarding a free press. Congress should immediately act on the Attorney General's call for legislation that will ensure these protections endure for years to come, across presidential administrations.”
Learn More Թֱ the Issues in This Press Release
Related Content
-
Press ReleaseJul 2025
Free Speech
Privacy & Technology
Texas Social Media Law Violates First Amendment, Թֱ Argues
SAN ANTONIO – The Թֱ, the Թֱ of Texas, and several other legal advocacy groups filed an amicus brief today in CCIA v. Paxton, arguing that a Texas law that restricts social media content for minors violates the First Amendment. “If allowed to go into effect, this law will stifle young people’s creativity and cut them off from public discourse,” said Lauren Yu, legal fellow with the Թֱ’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “The government can’t protect minors by censoring the world around them, or by making it harder for them to discuss their problems with their peers. This law would unconstitutionally limit young people’s ability to express themselves online, develop critical thinking skills, and discover new perspectives, and it would make the entire internet less free for us all in the process.” The brief argues that House Bill 18 (“the SCOPE Act”) restricts young people’s ability to use social media and blocks them from viewing content they have a constitutional right to see. The law, which was enjoined by a court last year, would require minors to register their age with social media platforms and would require platforms to filter content based on an overly broad definition of “harmful to minors” that includes any content that “promote, glorifies, or facilitates” a long list of topics, including eating disorders, bullying, and self-harm. “The government should not be able to decide what’s best for every child,” said Chloe Kempf, staff attorney from the Թֱ of Texas. “This law would isolate kids who need community support, hinder families who want their children to learn about the world around them, and open the door to sweeping bans — from Romeo and Juliet to content that is critical of the government. What’s framed as protecting our children is harming them — by censoring their access to the ideas and information they need to prepare for their futures.” The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that minors have robust First Amendment rights, including online. Even when the goal is to protect children, the brief argues, the government cannot infringe upon core expressive activity. The brief was filed in support of Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and NetChoice. CCIA & NetChoice originally filed suit against H.B. 18 in 2024. The amicus brief was filed in the Western District of Texas and was signed by the Cato Institute, the Student Press Law Center, TechFreedom, Wikimedia, and the Woodhull Freedom Foundation. The brief can be viewed online here.Court Case: CCIA v. PaxtonAffiliate: Texas -
Press ReleaseJul 2025
Free Speech
Immigrants' Rights
Mahmoud Khalil Seeks to Challenge Government’s Retaliatory, Post-Facto Charges Against Him in Federal Court
Following Mahmoud Khalil’s historic release on June 20, 2025, his legal team today filed a preliminary injunction motion challenging the government's attempts to detain and deport him based on a second immigration charge regarding alleged misrepresentations on his green card application as unconstitutional. The new motion argues that the government’s post-hoc charge, which it levied one week after Mr. Khalil filed his habeas petition, was retaliatory and violated Mr. Khalil’s First Amendment and Fifth Amendment due process rights. This action follows a couple significant rulings in June. First, the Court held that the original charges the government brought against Mr. Khalil — the “foreign policy ground” — were likely unconstitutional and blocked his detention on that basis. The government then shifted its justification for detention to the post-hoc charges. The following week, Judge Michael E. Farbiarz ordered Mr. Khalil's release, emphasizing that detention on such charges is extremely rare and affirming that he posed no danger or threat to the public. (The government has appealed both rulings, and is seeking to pause the release order in the appellate court.) The court has not yet formally blocked the second misrepresentation charge, as the motion now asks the court to do. Mr. Khalil, who the Trump administration detained for his speech in support of Palestinian rights, suffered in a remote detention facility in Jena, Louisiana for over three months — more than 1,400 miles from his legal team, wife, and newborn son. Before the government issued these late-filed allegations against Mr. Khalil, their immigration case rested entirely on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s foreign policy “determination,” which the federal court has now blocked. Below are quotes from Mr. Khalil’s legal team: “The Trump administration’s baseless, after-the-fact charges against Mahmoud Khalil are nothing more than further retaliation for his outspoken advocacy for Palestinian human rights,” said Amy Belsher, Director of Immigrants’ Rights Litigation at the NYCLU. “These flimsy accusations only reveal the targeted nature of his arrest and the ongoing attempts to silence and remove him. It’s past time the government gave up its unlawful attacks on Mahmoud and his family.” “The government has gone to extraordinary and outrageous lengths in its attempt to silence Mahmoud Khalil, including leveling unsubstantiated and retaliatory charges against him,” said Liza Weisberg, Թֱ-NJ Senior Staff Attorney. “We will continue to defend Mr. Khalil’s freedom as he is targeted for his advocacy in support of Palestinian rights, and we are confident he will ultimately prevail." "The government is using these trumped up charges to continue punishing Mahmoud Khalil for his political beliefs," said Brian Hauss, senior staff attorney with the Թֱ's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project. "This is textbook retaliation. The First Amendment squarely prohibits the government from abusing its powers to suppress dissent." Mr. Khalil is represented by Dratel & Lewis, the Center for Constitutional Rights, CLEAR, Van Der Hout LLP, Washington Square Legal Services, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the Թֱ of New Jersey, the Թֱ of Louisiana, and the Թֱ (Թֱ).Court Case: Khalil v. TrumpAffiliates: New York, New Jersey -
PodcastJul 2025
Free Speech
The ABCs of Free Speech with Emerson Sykes
By: Թֱ