FIRE & Cosmos announce $1m in grants to back free speech-friendly AI, FIRE launches ‘Students Under Fire’ database, & more!
Bringing you the latest free speech news (5/18/25)
Stories of the week
Will AI Kill Our Freedom to Think? (Reason) by me,
, & Philipp Koralus
To truly protect free inquiry moving forward, the principles we value must be built into the technology itself. For this reason, our organizations—the Cosmos Institute and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)—are announcing $1 million in grants toward backing open-source AI projects that widen the marketplace of ideas and ensure the future of AI is free.
“Students Under Fire” documents over 1,000 efforts to punish students for speech and expression over a five-year span, 63% of which resulted in some form of administrative punishment. The research provides the most detailed collection of speech-related campus controversies involving students to date. The underlying data will be compiled in an interactive database that will be regularly updated and searchable by the source of the outrage, demands made of the institution, whether the pressure is from the political left or right of the student’s speech, the outcome, and more.
This week in FIRE’s blog
FIRE and Cosmos Institute launch $1 million grant program for AI that advances truth-seeking
UC Irvine is crusading over student doormats — and wiping its feet on the Constitution by
Belfast hip-hop group Kneecap at the center of international firestorm by
Freelance investigative journalist Sammy Sussman to headline FIRE’s student press workshop
New tools for tough conversations by William Harris
This week in ERI
Trump vs. Law Firms by me and
FIRE in the press!
From defenders to skeptics: The sharp decline in young Americans’ support for free speech (The Conversation) by FIRE Senior Fellow Jacob Mchangama
The First Amendment protects unpopular speech. It does not just shield offensive ideas, but it safeguards movements that once seemed fringe. Whether it’s civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights or anti-war protests, history shows that ideas seen as dangerous or radical in one era often become widely accepted in another.
Today’s younger Americans will soon shape policies in universities, media, government, tech and the public square. If a growing share believes speech should be regulated to prevent offense, that could signal a shift in how free speech is interpreted and enforced in American institutions.
London Calling: Ronnie’s First Amendment Roundup
Fifth Circuit revives Speech First’s constitutional challenge to Texas State University’s Harassment Policy
Leading with a quote from the Chicago Statement that education “should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has reversed denial of a preliminary injunction on Speech First’s challenge to a Texas State University policy that prohibited “unwelcome verbal” or “written ... conduct” about “race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, veterans' status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression” that a “reasonable person” or group could find “offensive” or “hostile.” Even though the trial court agreed with Speech First's constitutional concerns—noting the policy had “critical First Amendment issues” as it would stifle “unpopular opinions” and prevent “students from providing their viewpoint to other students”—it refused to grant a PI. Instead, it pressured Texas State to amend the policy, then held the Speech First’s motion moot, even though university officials continued to vigorously defend the policy. But the Fifth Circuit rejected the lower court’s application of the “voluntary cessation” doctrine, which requires that subsequent events like Texas State’s replacement of the challenged policy must make “absolutely clear that the allegedly wrongful behavior could not reasonably be expected to recur.” The university’s acquiescence, the Fifth Circuit held, “falls far short of this stringent standard,” especially given “Texas State didn't voluntarily cease at all—it ceased only in response to judicial pressure.” It did not issue a controlling or sworn statement of future intent to not reinstate the prior policy, the revision to it was clearly timed as a response to the district court’s pressure and, as noted, the university persisted in defending the old policy (and it continues to do so). The need for a PI, therefore, is not moot, and must be addressed on its merits by a district court that already went so far as to say the original policy that Speech First challenged “would create a communist society.” So, good luck to Texas State on remand.
International free speech stories of the week
Charge against man who burnt Quran ‘incorrectly worded’, CPS admits (National Secular Society)
Orbán Fidesz party proposes Russia-style crackdown on Hungary’s civil society (Politico) by Elena Giordano
The proposed bill is part of a broader pattern of democratic backsliding in Hungary, where Orbán’s government has increasingly targeted independent institutions and dissenting voices. It also echoes Russia’s “foreign agent” law that the Kremlin uses to suppress NGOs and independent voices.
Crackdown On Pakistani Content: Centre Orders OTT Platforms To Remove Pakistan-Origin Content Immediately (Swarajya) by Arun Dhital
Trailer of the month
It’s no secret that ERI collaborator Angel Eduardo is arguably the world’s biggest Superman fan. He even wrote this piece back in January: “Can James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ unite America? I believe it can.” But despite the fact that, admittedly, I’ve always been more of a fan of the Marvel universe than DC, I’m also very excited for the upcoming ‘Superman.’ And, as a big ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ fan, I must add that Rachel Brosnahan makes the perfect Lois Lane!