I arrived in the United States as a student, fleeing the decaying socialism of Eastern Europe. Like many others, I was drawn by the promise of world-class professors, cutting-edge research, and—of course—the ability to speak freely, without fear of reprisal. Over time, I became a U.S. citizen and an advocate for free speech, not because (at that time) it [...]
From questionably constitutional Executive Orders, to the takeover of the Kennedy Center, to the widespread defunding of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), to the new ideological mandates imposed upon the Smithsonian Institution, the Trump Administration’s aims are clear. By targeting cultural programs centered on themes of gender, race, or complex [...]
2025 has been a perilous year for free expression. Our nation is built on the ideal of liberty – that our national character and constitution promise us the freedom to speak, the freedom to create, and the freedom to choose what we see, listen to, and read. Those are the values that have motivated our work at the National [...]
Elana Mann, Portrait of Derrick Maddox; artist and musician, part of the Call to Arms Comrades series, 2017-2025 At the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University, an exhibition titled Hold My Hand In Yours was shuttered nearly six months early after several of its artists withdrew their works in protest of the University’s censorship [...]
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), joined by right to read advocate Steven Pico, has filed an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court. In May 2025, a majority of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in Little v. Llano County that library patrons have no First Amendment right to receive information and ideas [...]
Updated 10.7.25 – According to local reports from Leander, thirty-six of the forty books have been returned to the school curriculum and any books removed restricted or removed from classroom libraries are to be returned. The administration of Leander ISD in Texas has temporarily pulled and placed on hold around forty book titles from curriculum and classroom libraries ostensibly to [...]
Yesterday, the administration announced a new Executive Order titled "Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence." This broad Order ostensibly instructs the National Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate and prosecute crimes by groups it suspects of perpetrating political violence. But the fine print is immense cause for concern. The Order defines political violence as the "culmination of sophisticated, [...]
Credit: Ponic Photography The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) signed on to a coalition letter led by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), alongside the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Student Press Law Center (SPLC). We urge newly appointed Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) President Shelly Lowe to reverse sanctions [...]
Just eight months ago, President Trump rode into office on the promise of ending censorship, cancel culture, and the use of government power to pressure private individuals and companies into doing its bidding. Eight months have brought a full 180-degree revolution from free speech defender to censor-in-chief. As an organization committed to protecting the freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression, the [...]
The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board of Escambia County Public Schools to object to proposed revisions to the School Board Policy Manual on challenged materials. The changes would eliminate the review committee and allow the superintendent alone to review challenged materials and recommend actions to the school board. Read NCAC's full letter to the Escambia [...]
UPDATE 9/06/2025: Following NCAC's letter, the Duval Public School attorney recommended the district reject the proposed policy. The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Duval County Public School Board about their proposed revisions to school policy on challenged materials. NCAC opposes the proposed policy changes to include both the implementation of book removal requirements pursuant to Florida [...]
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has joined Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the Rutherford Institute, the Cato Institute, and the First Amendment Lawyers Association in filing an amicus curiae brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. This critical case, Ozturk v. Hyde, raises profound questions about the scope of free expression in [...]
The recent letter from the White House, demanding a review of Smithsonian activities in the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the United States, signals a dangerous new chapter in the politicization of cultural institutions. The administration not only questioned the Smithsonian’s programming but also issued a list of specific exhibits and content it found objectionable. In doing so, it [...]
UPDATE 8/11/2025: VICTORY! On August 8, 2025, the Smithsonian Institution reportedly installed a new display label acknowledging President Trump's two impeachments. The substance of the wall label is largely the same as the text in the temporary label that had been removed, though uses slightly softer language. As an organization committed to protecting the freedom of thought, inquiry, and [...]
NCAC has joined FIRE and other free expression organizations in filing an amicus brief in the case of Netchoice v. Fitch, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Mississippi H.B. 1126 under the First Amendment. This statute requires social media platforms to verify the age of all users and forbids platforms to permit minors to create accounts unless they have obtained consent [...]
As an organization committed to protecting the freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression, the National Coalition Against Censorship is alarmed by reports that the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery proposed amending the planned display of a painting because of fears that the work would attract the ire of President Donald Trump. The action is one more disturbing sign of [...]
NCAC has filed an amicus brief in the consolidated cases of NetChoice v. Paxton and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas v. Paxton, lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Texas HB 18 under the First Amendment. This statute restricts certain digital platforms from permitting users under the age of 18 to access content that is obscene as to minors or “promotes, glorifies, or facilitates” [...]
The Trump administration’s latest travel ban went into effect this month, affecting travel from 19 countries. It bars entry to citizens of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, and places significant visa restrictions on nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Though it was [...]
NCAC has partnered with the sexual education and wellness platform O.school in filing an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Texas HB 1181. This statute is part of a growing legislative trend in which states require websites that publish material deemed “harmful to minors” to [...]
In May, Knox County Schools ordered school libraries to remove 65 book titles from their shelves to comply with Tennessee's Age-Appropriate Materials Act, bringing the total number of titles removed to 113 since December 2024. The large number of books removed raises concerns that the criteria being applied to judge books are overly broad and subjective. The National Coalition Against [...]
Since returning to office in January, President Trump has repeatedly abused his executive power in an attempt to silence those who dare to challenge his administration’s agenda. This spring, the administration issued executive orders imposing sanctions on certain major law firms in retaliation for their advocacy on behalf of clients and issues disfavored by the President. Among other major [...]
Under pressure from the Florida Attorney General, the Superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools ordered the removal of 6 titles and temporarily removed over 600 more for review for alleged sexual content. The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board to urge them to return the books to the shelves and keep them there until they [...]
We, the undersigned, write to condemn the unjust firing of Dr. Carla Hayden, who has served as Librarian of Congress since 2016. Dr. Hayden’s firing is an assault on our freedoms to access and pursue knowledge. This mirrors the recent attacks on the freedom to read books, the authors who create them, and our vast public network of public [...]
Today, 19 organizations, including the National Coalition Against Censorship, sent a letter to the Florida House of Representatives urging them to vote no on H.B. 1539. The bill, if enacted, would require school districts to remove any instructional or library material challenged as “harmful to minors” within just five days, regardless of whether the material has been properly reviewed. The [...]
Update 4/30/2025 – Despite the ongoing suspension of state funding, the Fairhope Public Library has followed proper a proper review policy and decided to retain two challenged books in the teen section. The National Coalition Against Censorship is urging Alabama officials to restore funding to Fairhope Public Library after it was penalized over complaints about young adult books. NCAC [...]
Patrick Good and E Achurch are both high school students living in Beaufort, South Carolina. While they come from different backgrounds and schools, both Good and Achurch are student leaders in the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization (DAYLO). Founded in 2021, DAYLO has expanded to include chapters across South Carolina, including 5 chapters in Beaufort County. As the only [...]
In March of 2023 Michelle Hartney’s collaborative mixed media installation work titled Unplanned Parenthood was met with censorship in Idaho. In March 2025, calls for censoring the work nearly succeeded again in Illinois. Hartney met with ACAP Director Elizabeth Larison and shared more about the project, and why she believes some audiences are afraid of its powerful message. He [...]
Update 5/5/2025 — Following public outcry and opposition from free speech advocates, the Rutherford County Library System Board voted unanimously to reverse their policy banning materials promoting transgender themes. In Tennessee, The Rutherford County Library System has approved a measure to remove all library "material that promotes, encourages, advocates for or normalizes" transgender themes. The National Coalition Against Censorship [...]
UPDATE 7/9/2025: The Trump administration is calling for the review of an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. The exhibition, which has been on view since 2022 and is titled Entertainment Nation, critiques and examines the entertainment industry and its influence on culture and social life by contextualizing works on view with relevant cultural and historical [...]
NCAC is alarmed to learn of the Rhode Island School of Art and Design’s decision to close its public campus cafe, which had been hosting To Every Orange Tree, a group exhibition of student, faculty, and community members’ work on themes of “political resistance, anti-imperialism, and Palestinian liberation.” RISD administrators claimed that “unofficial complaints” about the exhibition led to unspecified “safety [...]
In Florence, Oregon, the Siuslaw School District has removed the graphic novel Flamer from the high school library despite a review committee's recommendation to keep it. The School Board overrode the committee and voted 4-3 to remove it permanently. The National Coalition Against Censorship wrote to the board to urge them to reconsider their decision and return the Flamer back [...]
Update 4/25/25 – After significant public outcry, the Radnor Township School Board reversed course and voted to return all three graphic novels to school library shelves. The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Radnor Township School District following their removal of three graphic novels from the Radnor High School library. Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer, and Craig [...]
Today, NCAC, along with our partners at PEN America, the Rutherford Foundation, and the First Amendment Lawyers Association, joined an amicus brief written and filed by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) in urging the court to uphold Mohamad Khalil’s First Amendment rights and release him from detention. In an era where political speech and academic freedom [...]
UPDATE 03/20/2025: Following a City Commission meeting which revealed that the Mayor’s proposal to evict O Cinema and rescind its municipal funding did not have adequate votes to pass, the Mayor rescinded the measure. The decision came after an outpouring of support for the independent theater, and its right to program its offerings without government interference. Today the National [...]
Monroe County Schools in Tennessee may have improperly ordered the removal of 574 books from school libraries, in response to Tennessee's Age-Appropriate Materials Act, which considers certain books as inappropriate for students, before any formal complaints were filed. The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board to urge them to return all 574 books to school [...]
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is deeply concerned by the recent “Dear Colleague Letter” issued by the U.S. Department of Education, which targets and seeks to restrict the teaching of certain race-related concepts in classrooms. This letter claims to address discrimination by eliminating race-based preferences while also targeting 'indoctrination' and the teaching of DEI concepts. While we share [...]
Today, the National Coalition Against Censorship, The Authors Guild, The Dramatists Guild of America, The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, Artists at Risk Connection, AICA International and PEN America expressed deep concern over the Trump Administration’s recent moves to impose ideological control over federally funded cultural programs. Though some of these efforts have already been hindered by a court injunction, [...]
FORT WORTH, Feb. 19, 2025 — A trio of civil liberty organizations are speaking up today to demand the Fort Worth Police Department end its unconstitutional censorship and seizure of several pieces of art that were on display at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, National Coalition Against Censorship, and the [...]
On January 20, the White House issued an executive order stating that the United States government will only recognize two sexes, male and female, as defined “at conception.” The ripple effect of this order will undoubtedly affect public schools, public libraries, and the literature that is shelved in both. Among the many harms it causes, the order targeting transgender, [...]
The National Coalition Against Censorship is dismayed by the news of the premature removal of an art billboard that is part of a temporary project with the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, shortly after Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed called for its deinstallation. The billboard shows a 1965 Spider Martin photograph of state troopers staring down Black civil rights protesters [...]
