Civil Liberties Online

The First Amendment Project wrote this guide to help protect environmental advocates from defamation lawsuits. However, this resource provides guidance on avoiding defamation that is not only useful for environmental organizations, but a broader range of civil society groups.

The California Anti-SLAPP Project (CASP) is a law firm that fights against SLAPPs and protects the First Amendment. The firm’s website has a number of resources to help those targeted by SLAPPs. While the resources are geared towards those in California, they provide a useful reference for individuals and…

The California Anti-SLAPP Project created this factsheet to explain the types of legal claims (such as defamation, invasion of privacy, and conspiracy) that are often used to disguise a SLAPP. The definitions on this sheet apply specifically to California law, but provide a general overview that can…

The California Anti-SLAPP project created this factsheet to describe the basic parts of litigation involving a SLAPP. Although the content is specific to California laws, it provides a general overview that can be useful for individuals and organizations facing SLAPPs in other jurisdictions.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation analyzes Big Business’ “reform” of Texas’ anti-SLAPP law. This article is reprinted with permission from EFF’s website. Earlier this year, a critical free speech law in Texas came under attack. Texas bill H.B. 2730, as… Read More

Legal bullies never admit that they are filing a “strategic lawsuit against public participation” (SLAPP); SLAPPs come disguised as legitimate legal claims. Here are some of the most common types of legal theories used in SLAPPs. Note: these legal theories all appear in legitimate lawsuits, as well; in each case,…

The First Amendment Project created this handbook to help individuals and organizations identify SLAPPs and protect themselves. This includes preemptive actions to reduce exposure to SLAPPs and actions to take if a SLAPP bully targets you or your organization.

The ACLU of Ohio developed this guide to help activists better understand SLAPPs and how to defend against them. The guide includes a brief history of SLAPPs and a description of modern SLAPPs, including those against free speech online.

This book, by the two professors who coined the term “SLAPP,” charts the history of SLAPPs. The book examines the history of how the courts have addressed SLAPPs and looks at trends during the 1970s-1990s. An excerpt of the book is available here. The full book can…

The Pace Environmental Law Review published this article in 1989 by one of the two professors who coined the term “SLAPP.” This article analyzes the legal implications of SLAPPs, while a counterpart article by Penelope Canan examines SLAPPs from a sociological perspective.

Originally posted on the EFF website. Reposted with permission. During the pandemic, a dangerous business has prospered: invading students’ privacy with proctoring software and apps. In the last year, we’ve seen universities compel students to download apps that collect their face images, driver’s license data, and network information. Students… Read More

On November 30, 2018, San Francisco’s Superior Court issued an order granting anonymous antifascists’ motion to quash a subpoena that sought to uncover the identities of the antifascists. Civil Liberties Defense Center attorney Cooper Brinson urged the court to uphold the First Amendment rights of the antifascists to engage in anonymous… Read More

David Ruiz describes how the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has worked to tackle SLAPPs, and how the Protect the Protest task force will help. Ruiz said, “EFF feels right at home in Protect the Protest. We’ve represented individuals facing SLAPPs, we’ve connected others with legal help, and we’ve repeatedly… Read More

A Manhattan judge has denied an effort by agribusiness giant Monsanto to subpoena communications and privacy data from the campaigning group Avaaz. In issuing his decision, Judge Slomo Hagler said, “The subpoena itself would send a tremendous chilling effect through not… Read More