Who Will Fight for the First Amendment? Protecting Free Expression at a Critical Time
Date
Time
Location
Online
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET
Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025
Format: Online Webinar
On the day of his second Inauguration, President Trump issued an Executive Order, entitled Restoring Free Speech and Ending Federal Censorship. Since that moment, he and members of his Administration have commenced an all-out assault on the First Amendment and the rule of law targeting those who disagree with its policies. These attacks have taken many forms, from Executive Orders to deportation threats. Federal agencies have also opened their own fronts in the battle, threatening broadcast licenses, considering undermining Section 230, and examining social media content moderation practices for conservative bias – at a time when those agencies’ independence has been eviscerated by politicized firings and a new EO asserting direct presidential control.
Each new attack has an impact on speech across the expanded media ecosystem, from the tamping down of reporting by traditional news sources, to the disappearance of government websites linking to medical research or the rewriting of historical events, to the apparent end of the United States’ leadership as a defender of free expression globally, to the chilling effect experienced by anyone who would rather not find themselves in the Administration’s crosshairs. The Administration has also established an ideological, viewpoint-based, social media surveillance strategy that, while currently targeting non-citizens, has dangerous implications for citizens and non-citizens alike.
But all is not lost. Those who understand that free expression is the bedrock of a healthy democracy are fighting back in the courts, in the halls of Congress, in news outlets and as voices of conscience within the government. Join CDT for a conversation with leaders and free expression experts who are working to ensure dissent is still legal in the United States. We will talk about what they are doing, what they plan to do, and how each of us can help stand strong against attacks on freedom of speech.
Panelist:
- Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, Federal Communications Commission
- Kate Tummarello, Executive Director, Engine
- Alex Abdo, Litigation Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
- Sarah Oates, Associate Dean for Research, Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland
- Alexandra Givens, President and CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology