Thanks to your continued generosity, the Free Expression Foundation has made significant progress in defending freedom of expression and association. As we look to the future, we invite you to consider another meaningful way to support our mission: including FEF in your estate plans. Your generosity can help ensure that our work continues for generations to come. We share more about this opportunity and how you can help secure the Foundation's future in our latest article below:

ICYMI: As it stands now, there is no practical way to sue a federal official for violating your Constitutional rights. Adapting 42 U.S.C. 1983 to the federal level is the clearest path forward.

The First Amendment protects free expression. But what happens when a federal official retaliates against you for exercising that right? In our new article, we examine Austin Franco’s dismissed civil rights complaint, the troubling gap in legal remedies, and a proposed solution: the Freedom of Expression Act. The stakes reach beyond one case. They concern every American’s ability to speak freely and hold federal officials accountable. Read the full article below ⬇️

On September 7, 2026, the Free Expression Foundation’s Glen Allen filed a civil complaint against Accuracy in Media (“AIM”) for multiple violations of the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (“CPPA”) on behalf of Cornell student Austin Franco. Mr. Franco entered the public eye when he politely declined to work with Jewish individuals at the tech startup VrfyID. Amid the public firestorm over Mr. Franco’s stance, AIM sent a fraudulent letter to him purporting to be from an entirely separate non-profit called Justice in the Classroom. The letter offered a wide variety of services including legal representation and grants. In reality, the effort was a farce in order to gain access to Mr. Franco for the purposes of making a secret recording. Mr. Allen sent a demand letter to AIM for five separate violations of D.C.’s CPPA. Following the elapsed deadline to respond, he filed suit in the District of Columbia’s Superior Court on September 7. AIM has 21 days to respond to the complaint after being served.

Glen Allen, Founder and Chief Legal Officer of the Free Expression Foundation, joined the Political Cesspool to discuss the arrest of former SPLC officer Heidi Beirich.

UPDATE: In March 2025, the Jacobs and Mr. Weaver, represented by Glen Allen, Randy Sheppard, and Fred Kelly (the “FEF-Affiliated Attorneys”), filed in Georgia federal district court a complaint against (among others) several deputies and employees of the Douglas County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office alleging numerous claims, including First Amendment retaliation. In October 2025, the FEF-Affiliated Attorneys appealed the case to the Eleventh Circuit  Court of Appeals. That appeal has been fully briefed and awaits oral argument or further action by the federal appellate court. Meanwhile, the Georgia state prosecutors, after long delays, finally took initial steps to prosecute the Jacobs in state court on the faux “littering” charges. In late April 2026, Randy Sheppard on behalf of the Jacobs filed and argued a motion to quash the littering charges on the grounds that the political flyers in question were not “litter” as defined under the relevant Georgia statute.  The state court, to its credit, granted the motion. The state court, unlike the federal court, thus clearly and correctly assessed the manifest defects and flagrant constitutional infirmities of the defendants’ bogus prosecution. Fortified by the state court decision, Fred Kelly on behalf of the Jacobs and Mr. Weaver promptly filed a motion to expedite the appeal in the Eleventh Circuit. The aim of the motion, which is pending, is to have the case returned immediately to the federal district court. There the Jacobs and Mr. Weaver will move forward vigorously with their damages claims as well as their claims for injunctive and declaratory relief.