Jameel Jaffer
@jameeljaffer.bsky.social
36K followers 860 following 1.2K posts
Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; Exec Editor, Just Security; former ACLU. knightcolumbia.org.
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Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
miriamposner.com
Found this just incredibly depressing, more than anything.
An easel sign reads, “UCLA
ATTENTION
No events are permitted in this area today. Per Policy 852, this location is NOT designated for public expression activities.
Individuals participating in an event or a public expression activity in this area are subject to discipline and/or arrest.
Scan for policy information.”
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Thanks, Sherrilyn. Means a lot, coming from you.
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
This is a perilous moment for democracy in the United States, but I couldn’t be prouder of the Knight Institute’s work right now, and I don’t take for granted that we have the freedom and resources to do it. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
This free speech group at Columbia is taking on Trump when the university won’t – and winning
The Knight Institute is defending free speech at a school now synonymous with compromising on it
www.theguardian.com
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
MIT's response to the Trump admin's proposed "compact" is excellent and should be a model for other universities. orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Also, a total lie that American students have been crowded out by international students. International students effectively subsidize the tuition of American students!
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Quite a feat to go from this to "and therefore universities must ban faculty and students from belittling conservative ideas"
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
John Milton's Areopagitica, one of the most important and influential tracts on free speech ever written, is basically 100 pages of "belittling conservative ideas." Glad Milton got that one published before Marc Rowan came along.
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Quite a feat to go from this to "and therefore universities must ban faculty and students from belittling conservative ideas"
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Quite a feat to go from this to "and therefore universities must ban faculty and students from belittling conservative ideas"
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Marc Rowan says the "compact" will "protect free speech," but First Amendment scholars across the political spectrum are of one mind that the compact is flagrantly unconstitutional, and every major free speech org--from the ACLU to FIRE to PEN--agrees. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/o...
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
premthakker.bsky.social
Hearing from a lot of folks in and around CBS / Paramount. Thank you! But there's more I'd love your help with. If you work there, might you be able to text me? You can reach me on Signal @ premthakker.35

Your anonymity will be protected

No info? That's ok, just boost this so others see it too :)
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Any university that agrees to this outrageous “compact” is a full participant in Trump’s assault on democracy. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
If you need a Nobel Prize laureate to tell you that Trump can’t be trusted and that making deals with him is for suckers, the NY Times has a guy for you. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
“We took the freedom of speech away”
atrupar.com
Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."
Reposted by Jameel Jaffer
bgrueskin.bsky.social
Otto and Elise Hampel were Berliners who, in the early 1940s, used postcards to urge resistance against the Nazi regime.

They were arrested, convicted and beheaded.

(Their story is the basis for "Every Man Dies Alone," a brilliant novel.)

www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/07/a...
Armed investigators visit man who sent postcard critical of Florida CFO Ingoglia
The politically active couple expected a knock on their door because of their criticism of Trump and DeSantis, but not over a seemingly innocuous postcard.
www.sun-sentinel.com
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
It was incredibly moving to hear Prof Nickel and other non-citizen professors testify in court about the ways in which the arrests and deportations of students had affected them and their colleagues. So grateful to them for their integrity and courage. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Of course, it's an even bigger deal that the President is in fact authorizing these murders.
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
It's a pretty big deal that the NYC Bar Association--one of the most prominent and respected bar associations in the country--is accusing the President of ordering the "unlawful summary execution," i.e. murder--of civilians in violation of US and international law. www.nycbar.org/press-releas...
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
This is the third amicus brief we've filed in this case!
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
The DC Circuit is set to consider whether Trump violated the First Amendment by expelling the Associated Press from the White House press pool. @knightcolumbia.org's brief, just filed. knightcolumbia.org/content/knig...
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
"When faced with actual, explicit, documented government censorship—the kind they’ve been breathlessly warning about for years—they have nothing to say. Because this censorship serves their agenda, targets their enemies, and advances their political goals." www.techdirt.com/2025/10/03/d...
DOJ Demands Removal Of ICEBlock App; Why Are The ‘Free Speech Warriors’ Suddenly So Quiet?
For years now, the MAGA crowd has been absolutely convinced that the Biden administration engaged in the most egregious censorship campaign in American history. They’ve waved around the Murth…
www.techdirt.com
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Don’t believe anyone who tells you that intelligence shows anything “without a doubt,” but even if the intelligence was water-tight, this strike was still murder. No law permits the deliberate, premeditated killing of civilians.
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Proposed reply:

Dear Secretary McMahon,

Our offer is this: Nothing. Not even the fee for the gaming license, which we would appreciate if you’d put up personally.

Sincerely,

Universities
jswatz.bsky.social
“No self-respecting university could ever accept something like this,” said Lee Bollinger, a First Amendment scholar and former Columbia University president. “Trying to protect conservative ideas against being ‘belittled’ — that’s about as violative of the First Amendment interests as you can get.”
Colleges weigh whether to sign onto Trump plan or forgo federal benefits
A new proposal from the Trump administration would give colleges funding advantages if they adopt conservative priorities.
www.washingtonpost.com
jameeljaffer.bsky.social
This is an accurate, informative headline, unlike the ones atop some of the other news stories on this topic. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...