Overview

• At a Capitol press conference on Sept. 18, Sen. Chris Murphy and other Democrats said they will introduce a bill to protect people and institutions targeted for political reasons and to impose penalties on officials who misuse power to curb speech.
• Lawmakers pointed to the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show after his comments about the killing as evidence of escalating pressure on expression.
• They also cited Justice Secretary Pam Bondi’s claim that “hate speech” is not protected by the First Amendment, a stance she later narrowed to focus on incitement to violence in follow-up remarks.
• Rep. Greg Casar said the measure aims to shield churches, associations, newspapers, universities, students and workers from politically driven targeting.
• Democrats appealed for Republican support as President Trump pursues multibillion-dollar defamation suits against major newspapers including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.