The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty.
Learn more about FIRE's principled, nonpartisan record defending free speech
WATCH VIDEO: The Senator Who Started a Witch Hunt | How Joseph McCarthy built his career on explosive accusations, including the claim that communists had infiltrated the U.S. government.
As America marks 250 years of independence, it's time to look back at the moments that tested the freedoms at the heart of the American experiment. FIRE is proud to present the limited series “Figures of Speech” — looking at the heroes and villains of free speech in American history.
FIRE defends and promotes the individual rights of all Americans in our courtrooms, on our campuses, and in our culture.
Freedom of speech is a human right and a fundamental American freedom.
College faculty must be free to ask tough questions and facilitate learning without the threat of institutional censorship.
Due process demands that authorities provide fair, unbiased, and equitable procedures when determining a person’s guilt or innocence.
Freedom of the press protects the ability of journalists and news media to publish information free from official censorship.
Freedom of assembly is the right of individuals to come together to express shared ideas, and is guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Religious liberty is the right to follow the faith of your choice — or to follow no faith at all.
If you face retaliation over protected speech, or if you are a college student or faculty member whose First Amendment rights may have been violated on campus, reach out to FIRE to learn more about how we can protect your rights.
WATCH VIDEO: FIRE sits down with students who witnessed the Charlie Kirk shooting and explores a question that now confronts the nation: Is free speech the cause of political violence, or the only alternative to it?
After the murder of Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA campus event, the country was left debating the future of free speech. Featuring firsthand accounts, difficult conversations, and an unflinching look at the First Amendment, FIRE asks what it really means to coexist in a country where disagreements are not small, and sometimes are life and death.
FIRE defends and sustains the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the essential qualities of liberty — and carries out this mission through several core services.
FIRE’s signature, core defense program provides free, non-legal assistance to individuals whose fundamental civil liberties are violated.
FIRE strategically litigates in courts nationwide to vindicate the First Amendment and due process rights of everyday Americans.
FIRE’s College Policy Reform team works to proactively and systematically challenge campus policies that violate the free speech rights of students and faculty.
FIRE defends your individual rights at the state and federal level by advocating for rights-protective legislation and against bills that would abridge those rights.
Help us build a new free speech movement and promote a strong culture of free speech by supporting FIRE with a donation today. Please join us in this important work!
Subscribe to receive emails and texts about FIRE's work and upcoming events.