The State of Free Speech in 2026

Geoffrey Stone of the University of Chicago Law School and Eugene Volokh, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and UCLA School of Law, discuss the First Amendment and the rapidly evolving speech landscape—from social media and artificial intelligence to college campuses and the press. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitutional Center, moderates.

Resources 

Moody v. NetChoice, LLC (2024) 

“What is Section 230?,” We the People (June 4, 2020) 

Citizen United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) National Constitution Center, Supreme Court Case Library 

“Meta reaches landmark $18 billion settlement with states in trial over teen social media addiction,” Associated Press (Aug 26, 2026) 

Free Speech Coalition, INC v. Paxton (2025)  

Ashcroft v. ACLU (2004) 

NRA v. Vullo (2024) 

“Scaling Laws: Eugene Volokh: Navigating Libel and Liability in the AI Age,” Lawfare (July 17, 2025) 

New York Times Company v. Sullivan (1964) National Constitution Center, Supreme Court Case Library 

Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. (1974)