Free Speech

Stylized image of a group of people at a protest or rally.

Freedom of speech is protected under the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights and is guaranteed to everyone living in the United States. Since 1920, the ACLU has been committed to the defense and preservation of this fundamental right.

Recently, ACLU-NM represented clients whose right to speak was suppressed in open city commission meetings, filed suit against sheriff’s deputies who coerced false confessions from witnesses and represented anti-war demonstrators who felt that the police suppressed their right to protest government actions.

Though many of us take this right for granted, free speech comes under attack on a daily basis making the work ACLU-NM does to protect free speech vital and ongoing.

Learn more about our recent cases related to free speech below.

The Latest

Press Release
Image of Monique Dereta and Rowena Tachias

Los Lunas Parents Win Settlement After Threatened by School District Over Facebook Page

Issue Areas: Free Speech
News & Commentary
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New Mexico Must Keep Its Promise on Civil Rights

Five years ago, New Mexico made a promise. When our state passed the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, we declared that the rights guaranteed by the New Mexico Constitution meant something.
News & Commentary
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Your Questions Answered: Filming ICE Interactions Safely

Despite government attacks against protesters and the press, documenting interactions with law enforcement and federal agents is protected by the First Amendment. ACLU experts break down what you need to know.
Press Release
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Incarcerated Men Sue New Mexico Corrections Department Over Unconstitutional Ban on Books and Publications

Today, Aaron Daugherty and Bryce Franklin sued the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD), challenging a sweeping and unconstitutional ban on the purchase of books, magazines, and newspapers for people incarcerated in New Mexico state prisons.
Court Case
November 19, 2021

Clifton White v. Padilla, Catanach, Langston, Herrera, Tafoya Lucero, Liddel, Ortiz

Court Case
August 29, 2016

Mackie v. New Mexico Public Education Department

Court Case
April 27, 2016

Seymour v. Albuquerque