First Amendment Resources and Useful Links

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The links below provide legal and legislative information on SLAPP and First Amendment issues in California and around the country.

Anti-SLAPP Laws in Other States

For information about anti-SLAPP laws in states other than California, visit the Public Participation Project.

If you believe a SLAPP was filed against you, and it relates to online speech, you may want to contact the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

California Government on the Web

  • California State Home Page
  • California Bills — the full text of bills and resolutions, searchable by bill number or key words. Information on the status, history, and votes on each bill, and various analyses and any veto message from the Governor, are also available. You may elect to have e-mail updates sent to you for any bill.
  • California State Assembly — access to Assembly calendar, bills, members, and committees, as well as links to all branches of state government: executive, legislative, judicial, independent agencies, constitutional officers.
  • California State Senate — access to Senate calendar, archives, bills, members, committees.

California Law on the Web

  • California Courts — the official Web site of the California Courts and Judicial System. All state supreme court and appellate court opinions for the past 60 days are posted (in Word or pdf only), and all published opinions from 1850, in searchable format. Includes rules of appellate courts, links to county court websites, and a section on the Judicial Council of California.
  • California Statutes — the full text of all 29 state codes, searchable by keywords or whole phrases (see their Help page).
  • California Code of Regulations — at the website of the California Office of Administrative Law.
  • FindLaw California — excellent starting place for online research.

Legal Resources 

Directories of Law Sites on the Web

Other Organizations


American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU has been working to preserve freedom of speech since 1920. Current areas of focus include campaign finance reform, censorship, flag desecration, the right to protest, student speech, and internet censorship.

 

125 Broad Street – 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 549-2500
www.aclu.org

ACLU Northern California
39 Drumm Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
Tel [main]: (415) 621-2493
Tel [legal assistance line, M-F 10am-3pm]: (415) 621-2488
TTY: (415) 863-7832
Fax: (415) 255-1478

ACLU Southern California
1616 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Tel: (213) 977-9500
Fax: (213) 250-3919

ACLU San Diego & Imperial Counties
P.O. Box 87131
San Diego, CA 92138-7131
Tel: (619) 212-2121
Email: info [at] aclusandiego.org

Citizen Media Law Project
CMLP’s mission is to provide assistance, training, research, and other resources for individuals and organizations involved in online and citizen media.

 

Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Harvard Law School
23 Everett Street, Second Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: (617) 495-7547
Fax: (617) 495-7641

Cyberlaw Clinic
The Cyberlaw Clinic provides high-quality, pro-bono legal services to appropriate individuals, small start-ups, non-profit groups and government entities regarding cutting-edge issues of the Internet, new technology and intellectual property.

 

Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Harvard Law School
23 Everett Street, Second Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: (617) 495-7547
Fax: (617) 495-7641

Electronic Frontier Foundation
EFF confronts cutting-edge issues defending online free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights primarily through litigation. EFF also maintains a national network of cooperating attorneys.

 

454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel: (415) 436-9333
Fax: (415) 436-9993
Email: information [at] eff.org

First Amendment Coalition
CFAC is a nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to advancing free speech and open-government rights. Its activities include educational and informational programs, participation in “test case” litigation to enhance First Amendment rights for the largest number of citizens, and legislative oversight of bills affecting free speech.

 

534 4th Street, Suite B
San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel: (415) 460-5060
Fax: (415) 460-5155

 
Public Citizen
Public Citizen Litigation Group is a public interest law firm that litigates cases in federal and state judiciaries and before federal regulatory agencies, specializing in health and safety regulation, consumer rights, including class actions and access to the courts, open government, and the First Amendment, including Internet free speech.

 

Litigation Group
1600 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Tel: (202) 588-1000
Email: weblitigationmail [at] citizen.org

Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society
The Center for Internet and Society provides law students and the general public with educational resources and analyses of policy issues arising at the intersection of law, technology and the public interest. Through the Fair Use Project and the Cyberlaw Clinic, CIS also provides legal representation to clients in matters that raise important issues of free expression, civil rights and technology.

 

Click here to contact CIS.

Other National Resources

The following services on the Internet may be of special interest to those concerned with the threat of SLAPPs to free speech and petition.

  • American Bar Association
  • Congress.org — comprehensive links to Congressional committees, offices, Members, etc.
  • Federal Courts Home Page — a clearinghouse for information from and about the Judicial Branch of the U.S. government. It includes information on PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).
  • Information Law Web — specializes in “information law,” especially rights in cyberspace.

The information on this website is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. The information here is meant to provide general information to the public.