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Illustration of a large leg with a brown shoe kicking a tiny person with a red speech bubble, who’s flying through the air. — Ikon Images via AP

SLAPPs are lawsuits intended to chill and punish constitutionally protected speech, including journalism.

Strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, threaten free speech.

SLAPPs are frivolous lawsuits often brought by the wealthy and powerful against speech they dislike. SLAPPs chill reporting, activism, and criticism by forcing defendants to spend time and money defending themselves. We need strong laws that stop SLAPPs at both the state and federal level.

Write your members of Congress

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Edit this message so that it is unique to you: Dear Senator/Representative, As your constituent, I urge you to support federal anti-SLAPP legislation to put a stop to lawfare by politicians, billionaires, and bullies who file frivolous lawsuits to suppress speech. These lawsuits aren’t about winning but about intimidation — the objective is to make journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens think twice before questioning the powerful by forcing them to incur often-crippling legal fees, as well as the wasted time and anxiety that come with defending a lawsuit. Forty states and the District of Columbia have anti-SLAPP laws, which typically allow for swift dismissals and expedited appeals, and for victims of SLAPPs to recover their attorneys fees. But the federal government does not have similar legislation, and most federal courts will not enforce the anti-SLAPP laws enacted by the states in which they reside. That means SLAPPsters can evade accountability through forum shopping. Sen. Ron Wyden and Reps. Kevin Kiley and Jamie Raskin introduced the bipartisan Free Speech Protection Act in 2024 to solve this problem, but unfortunately it did not advance. Since then, federal SLAPPs have continued to be used to harass well-meaning Americans attempting to report on or participate in government, deterring public participation. I urge you to vocally support that bill or similar federal anti-SLAPP legislation the next time it is introduced. URLs are not allowed in this message.

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