“The court’s decision brings me great relief and hope that free speech will be protected in Brazil,” said Borges. “The truth matters. Stating biological facts in a post should never result in prison time. All Brazilians deserve to speak freely and stand for what they believe in, even if their views differ from those in power.”

X (formerly Twitter) filed a landmark legal challenge Monday to a $140 million fine imposed by the European Commission under the European Union’s Digital Services Act—a sweeping censorship regime that uses American technology companies to impose European speech restrictions on users worldwide, including in the United States.

“These deportations of Christians in Türkiye for reasons of national security are one more attack on Christians, the most persecuted religious minority around the world. The EU cannot talk of human rights and then remain silent when Christians are facing problems in Africa or persecution in a neighboring country. We must stand up for freedom of religion everywhere without any double standards. Türkiye must put a stop to these deportations of Christians.” 

“I am a law-abiding citizen and it feels surreal that the police have criminalised me so harshly and repeatedly merely for peacefully expressing my Christian views in the public square. Unfortunately, I believe that the police view me, a Christian pastor, as an easy target and are afraid of others being offended by my lawful speech. This is two-tier policing in action.”

“No one should face a decade behind bars for expressing an opinion on a matter of public concern,” said Julio Pohl, Legal Counsel for ADF International, which is providing legal support to Borges. “Weaponising Brazil’s expansive ‘transphobia’ laws to punish peaceful expression is a profound violation of freedom of speech.”

The government’s use of these codes effectively labels individuals as a “threat to public order and security,” a classification normally reserved for terrorism suspects. In practice, however, those targeted have no criminal records and no evidence of unlawful conduct — the only thing that they have in common is openly practicing and sharing their Christian faith.

“Speech that is lawful today can become criminalized tomorrow. This should concern every person that values freedom,” Räsänen said. “My case shows where this path can lead. Recent developments from the European Union, like the Digital Services Act, make European censorship a worldwide concern.” 

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represent the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and three Illinois pregnancy centers in the eight-year-old case National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Treto. After the attorneys asked HHS to investigate this matter, the agency sent a “notice of violation” to Illinois officials informing them that their state law violates the Weldon and Coats-Snowe Amendments. Those are federal conscience clauses that protect pro-life health care professionals from being forced to refer women for an abortion.

In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that the Yakima Union Gospel Mission is free to hire like-minded employees who share and live out the mission’s religious beliefs and purpose to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through its homeless shelter and other community service programs.

“Religious organizations and churches in rural America deserve equal access to federal programs, and the First Amendment protects this fundamental right. Prior administrations enacted certain U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that exclude faith-based organizations just because they engage in religious activities. We’re thankful to Secretary Rollins for her public commitment to religious liberty and we hope our petition will help the USDA correct discriminatory rules and ensure all its programs are operated consistent with religious liberty and fairness for all Americans.”

“The Grants Pass School District is taking the right step by acknowledging that teachers don’t give up their First Amendment rights when they set foot on school property. Public schools can’t retaliate against speech simply because they disagree with what’s said.”

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, a private Christian college, challenging the Chicago Board of Education for religious discrimination over the school’s hiring practices.

“This case isn’t about books; it’s about public officials telling an employee that he isn’t allowed to express a view that differs from their own,” said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom. “Our legal system is built on the truth that the government can’t silence a speaker just because it disapproves of what he says."

“Out-of-state abortion drug peddlers are violating the criminal laws of Louisiana and other states across the country that choose life. They aren’t providing healthcare, they’re drug dealers,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said.

In a victory for free speech on Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky held Louisville accountable for violating the First Amendment rights of a wedding photographer and blogger and protected her freedom to speak messages that align with her religious beliefs.