"Representatives Raskin and Kiley and Senator Wyden Introduce Bill to Protect Free Speech", 5 December 2024

Landmark Free Speech Protection Act is introduced to protect free speech from baseless legal attacks and combat Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation

...Today, U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the Free Speech Protection Act of 2024. The landmark bill seeks to protect free speech and uphold the integrity of the U.S. court system. 

SLAPPs [Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation] allow powerful corporations and individuals to use the courts to sue journalists, advocates, and everyday citizens who speak out on matters of public concern. The goal of these baseless lawsuits is not to win on their merits, but to use the courts to bully and bankrupt their targets into silence. These suits are a direct attack on First Amendment rights. SLAPPs impact people from all walks of life, from journalists and bloggers, to teachers and activists, to survivors of domestic abuse.

To date, 33 states and the District of Columbia have passed anti-SLAPP laws, most with overwhelming bipartisan support, but there is no federal SLAPP statute that provides consistent protection across federal courts. Legislation is needed at the federal level to prevent SLAPPs, dismiss them quickly from our courts, penalize those who use them, and guarantee First Amendment protections to all Americans, regardless of where they live.

Members of the Protect the Protest coalition strongly support the bill and urge Congress to pass this critical legislation...