SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission
Protecting Americans’ Rights to Organize and Speak About Politics

SpeechNow.org President David Keating and IJ Senior Attorney Steve Simpson

SpeechNow.org is a new group of citizens formed to protect the First Amendment at the ballot box.  But before it can advocate for or against candidates based on their stand on free speech, it must go to court to secure its own First Amendment rights.

Represented by the Institute for Justice and the Center for Competitive Politics, SpeechNow.org and its members are challenging the federal campaign finance law that requires SpeechNow.org to become a “political committee” in order to advocate for or against candidates.  The law’s limits and red tape make it virtually impossible for new independent citizen groups like SpeechNow.org to raise start-up funding and effectively reach voters.

It is also unconstitutional for a group like SpeechNow.org. 

SpeechNow.org is simply Americans talking to Americans about an issue of vital public importance:  the right to speak freely about politics and whom to elect to secure it. The First Amendment guarantees individuals the right to speak without limit, so it should be common sense that groups of individuals have the same rights.

The lawsuit aims to vindicate the First Amendment rights to free speech and association and to pave the way groups of citizens to make their voices heard in elections—without being hamstrung by harmful government limits on speech.