Freedom of Speech

Groups Cross Political Divide to Defend Due Process

People For the American Way Foundation and the Rutherford Institute filed a joint amicus brief in the case Padilla v. Hanft in support of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Henry Floyd, which found that the government could not indefinitely detain Jose Padilla, an American seized on American soil and detained without charge since 2002 – instead it must either charge him with a crime or release him. The joint brief, drafted with the Chicago office of Sidley & Austin, was filed in the U.S.

Gonzales Confirmation Calls for Close Oversight, says PFAW

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Bush’s nomination of longtime confidant Alberto Gonzales to replace John Ashcroft as United States Attorney General, in spite of a public record that raises serious questions about his commitment to constitutional principles and the rule of law. The 60-36 vote reflected significant opposition for an executive branch nominee, and the second highest vote against an attorney general nominee since 1925.

Strong Opposition to Attorney General Nominee Reflects Deeply Troubling Record, Indicates Serious Debate Likely in Full Senate

Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales was narrowly approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which voted 10-8 along party lines to send his nomination to the floor. People For the American Way President Ralph G.

United Church of Christ’s Inclusion Message Called ‘Too Controversial’; Anti-Gay Election Campaigns Spawning New Wave of Censorship

People For the American Way Foundation President Ralph G. Neas decried a decision by CBS and NBC network officials to refuse a 30-second ad produced by the United Church of Christ to promote the denomination’s commitment to welcoming everyone. People For the American Way Foundation is urging activists to sign a petition to the networks protesting their decisions.

PFAW President Ralph G. Neas: John Ashcroft was one of the most destructive attorneys general in the modern era. His tenure was marked by a severe erosion of Americans’ constitutional liberties and a diminished commitment to civil rights enforcement. His tenure at the Justice Department would have been even more damaging if the Supreme Court had not rejected his claims that the President could unilaterally suspend American citizens constitutional protections.

Rare 1787 copy of Constitution, early Bills of Rights to be available for viewing

New York, NY - On the evening of September 1st, 2004, People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) will sponsor a reading of the U.S. Constitution, free to the public, in the historic Great Hall of Cooper Union. Some of the country's leading figures from the worlds of film, art, politics, theater, music and sports will participate in reading portions of our founding document.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a preliminary injunction against the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), a 1998 law that imposes stiff criminal and civil penalties -- fines as high as $50,000 per day and imprisonment for up to six months -- for Web content that is deemed “harmful to minors.”