ACLU memo: Free speech cases may take backseat to organization's equality and justice work

Robby Soave at Reason reports Thursday on a leaked ACLU memo that suggests the ACLU’s defense of free speech might be weighed against the organization’s other commitments, such as social justice, racial equality, and women’s rights.

https://twitter.com/robbysoave/status/1009789324492197889

Soave writes:

It’s hard to see this as anything other than a cowardly retreat from a full-throated defense of the First Amendment. Moving forward, when deciding whether to take a free speech case, the organization will consider “factors such as the (present and historical) context of the proposed speech; the potential effect on marginalized communities; the extent to which the speech may assist in advancing the goals of white supremacists or others whose views are contrary to our values; and the structural and power inequalities in the community in which the speech will occur.”

Soave notes that “the memo also makes clear that the ACLU has zero interest in defending First Amendment rights in conjunction with Second Amendment rights. If controversial speakers intend to carry weapons, the ACLU ‘will generally not represent them.'”

What a shocker.

Some speech is more free than others. https://t.co/cUcCyBUO7K

— jon gabriel (@exjon) June 21, 2018

Which is a fancy way of saying they're not for free speech, so much as for certain kinds of speech. https://t.co/7q2lDjuoRD

— Mo Mo (@molratty) June 21, 2018

If you haven't already, you may now stop taking the ACLU seriously.

They don't defend liberties, they defend favored liberal groups. https://t.co/DzTmnxS3N2

— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) June 21, 2018

Watering down defense of First (and for that matter, Second) Amendment rights, plus attempting to change strategy to keep progressive allies happy isn't a good move. The more we succumb to the speech = violence mentality, the worse off all of us are. https://t.co/ySntCzrtk5

— Liz Wolfe (@lizzywol) June 21, 2018

The Anti-Civil Liberties Union strikes again https://t.co/PbIBzUrn1I

— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) June 21, 2018

Speech is limited based on who you are. Shyamalan twist. https://t.co/3Aomuu2w0o

— Anthony Bialy (@AnthonyBialy) June 22, 2018

What a surprise. The ACLU are massive frauds on par with the SPLC. @ACLU_NC https://t.co/Gzy2EhLtlK

— Sister Toldjah ? (@sistertoldjah) June 22, 2018

Because principle doesn't stand for all… https://t.co/IOCGZoTwUx

— Arthur Frelling Dent (@ArthurFrDent) June 21, 2018

Free speech continues its death spiral. https://t.co/rIYTMsSuIs

— Son of Liberty (@filiuslibertate) June 21, 2018

The ACLU giving on one of the few things I respected about them? Yikes. https://t.co/anxZIzLOOt

— Isabelle Morales (@IsabelleAliciaa) June 21, 2018

The @ACLU has ceded their position as the torchbearer in defense of civil liberties. I would highly encourage anyone supporting them financially to read this article along with the @WSJ piece by former ACLU board member Wendy Kaminer before you give them another dime. https://t.co/xlhGJGivIX

— Matt Wolfgang (@mattwolfgang) June 21, 2018

This would be a monumental mistake by @ACLU Do NOT go down the same road as the @splcenter who have done permanent damage to their reputation. The ACLU must not be written off as "a bunch of SJWs." Why give the enemies of free speech a knife they will use to slit your throat? https://t.co/ftmpp0GtXC

— Vegas Ute (@VegasUte) June 21, 2018

https://twitter.com/tms1792/status/1009839401906647041

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