FIREwire — November 7, 2025
Victory for Ann Selzer, and Chicago tells immigration agents to back off
“Without an unfettered press, without liberty of speech, all the outward forms and structures of free institutions are a sham, a pretense — the sheerest mockery.”
– William Borah, U.S. senator from Idaho, April 1917
Federal court dismisses class-action against pollster Ann Selzer
A federal district court dismissed an attempted class-action lawsuit brought by a subscriber of The Des Moines Register against renowned Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, holding that the First Amendment bars claims against her related to her October 2024 general election poll.
Selzer responded:
I am pleased to see this lawsuit has been dismissed. The First Amendment’s protection for free speech and a free press held strong. I know that I did nothing wrong and I am glad the court also concluded that there was never a valid legal claim.
Immigration agents in Chicago told to back off after speech-based arrests
On Thursday, a federal judge in Chicago ordered immigration agents to restrict their use of anti-riot weapons such as tear gas, adding that Border Patrol officials had lied to justify the use of force, adding that the agents’ actions chilled protected speech.
Agents had claimed local protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown were violent, citing property damage and alleged assaults on officers, but video evidence showed largely peaceful demonstrations.
Below the fold
Most Americans “believe President Trump is not committed to protecting freedom of speech,” according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
The president of Princeton University, Christopher Eisbruger, has a new book — Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right — and it gets FIRE data really wrong. Our director of research, Ryne Weiss, responds to his criticism.
The California Supreme Court said it’s okay for the state to require staff in long-term care facilities to use residents’ preferred pronouns, arguing that this isn’t a First Amendment violation but a legal duty tied to anti-discrimination law.
In the frame
The Free Speech Film Festival and Award Ceremony in Philadelphia will be held on Nov. 12, showcasing six independent films exploring themes of expression, suppression, and global dissent. Organized through the Free Speech Award program, it offers a platform for filmmakers tackling free-speech and social-justice issues.
By the numbers
After our recent post showed male students of all political stripes are more tolerant than female students of all political stripes, we decided to look at other demographic factors. We found that tolerance is especially high among homeschooled individuals, people who attend religious service several times a week, and people of two or more races, whereas intolerance is especially high among American Indian, black, and gay male students. Combined, this suggests that, while there are demographic drivers, background can have significant positive effects on tolerance.
If requiring the usage of preferred pronouns for long-term care residents doesn't trigger strict scrutiny, then it follows that requiring the usage of sex-accurate pronouns doesn't either. I wonder if we'll conservative states testing that now.