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The Knight First Amendment Institute is a think tank at Columbia University dedicated to protecting first amendment rights in the digital age. It was established in 2016 by Columbia University and the Knight Foundation. The Institute engages in litigation, research and public education in service of its mission.
| Established | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Type | Think tank |
| Headquarters | New York, New York |
Director | Jameel Jaffer |
| Website | knightcolumbia |
History
[edit]The Knight First Amendment Institute was founded in May 2016 through a $60 million grant by Columbia University and the Knight Foundation.[1] Lee Bollinger, then-president of Columbia, and Knight Foundation president Alberto Ibargüen came up with the idea to establish the Institute after discussing the challenges facing the First Amendment in the digital age.[2] In June 2016, civil rights lawyer Jameel Jaffer was appointed as founding director of the Institute.[3]
The organization has received millions in funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Democracy Fund, First Look Media, and the Charles Koch Foundation.[4][5]
Notable lawsuits
[edit]Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump
[edit]In July 2017, the Knight Institute filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against then-President Donald Trump for blocking seven people from his @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, alleging that the account functioned as a designated public forum. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in May 2018, subsequently leading to their unblocking from the Twitter account. The Trump administration appealed the decision in the Second Circuit that same year, but the court upheld the district court ruling. After a petition to the Supreme Court by Trump, the Second Circuit ruling was vacated per the mootness doctrine.
The Knight ruling has been cited as an important case in the social media as public forum debate. Its principles are now used by lawsuits nationwide to stop government officials from blocking critics on social media.[6][7]
American Association of University Professors v. Rubio
[edit]A 2025 lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s policy of arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizen students and faculty who participate in protected speech. The Knight Institute represented the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), AAUP’s Harvard, NYU, and Rutgers campus chapters, and the Middle East Studies Association in the case.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ McPhate, Mike (2016-05-17). "Columbia University to Open a First Amendment Institute". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ^ Peters, Jonathan. "Knight, Columbia commit $60 million to launch digital-era First Amendment center". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ^ "ACLU'S Jameel Jaffer to Direct Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University". Columbia News. 2026-07-10. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ^ "Knight First Amendment Institute - MacArthur Foundation". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ^ "Knight Institute Receives $6.5M in Grants from Democracy Fund, First Look Media, and the Charles Koch Foundation". Knight First Amendment Institute. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ^ Terry, Christopher; Schmitz, Stephen; Silberberg, Eliezer Joseph (2022-07-08). "A Cheerleader, a Snapchat, and a Profanity go to Supreme Court but the Punchline in Mahanoy Isn't Funny". Communication Law and Policy. 27 (2): 79–101. doi:10.1080/10811680.2022.2055377. ISSN 1081-1680.
- ^ Ingber, Sasha (2019-07-12). "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Sued Over Blocking Twitter Followers". NPR. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ^ "American Association of University Professors v. Rubio". Knight First Amendment Institute. Retrieved 2026-07-14.