First Amendment Coalition
First Amendment Coalition
Defending Free Speech & The Public's Right To Know
LATEST NEWS
FAC Urges Santa Ana City Council to Withdraw Press Restrictions on City Council Meetings
Tonight, members of the Santa Ana City Council will consider withdrawing a policy that restricts journalists covering the council. Our comments state: “The policy interferes
Journalists must be allowed to do their jobs while government officials do theirs
The homelessness crisis is one of the biggest issues facing California. To understand the human toll of housing insecurity and to assess the efficacy of
Coalition Demands California Officials Respect Role of Press at Homeless Encampment Sweeps
A coalition of 23 press rights and civil liberties organizations, today call on California officials to operate with maximum transparency and respect the role of the press in observing and documenting sweeps of homeless encampments.
OUR MISSION
FAC protects and promotes a free press, freedom of expression and the people's right to know.
SUPPORT FAC
Help power our fight for free speech, open government, and the people's right to know.
Have a question about access to public records, participating in government meetings or First Amendment concerns? We have a dedicated group of lawyers ready to help.
The Right to Know: A Guide to Public Access and Media Law
WHAT WE DO
FAC’s greatest asset is our 30 year legal record of holding governments accountable at the local, state, and federal levels, supporting journalists and citizens in how to enforce their First Amendment rights.
FAC regularly holds public forums that bring lawyers, journalists and citizens together from coast to coast to advance the discussion on government transparency, free speech and citizen engagement.
Every year FAC recognizes outstanding accomplishment, service or other contributions to the advancement of free expression or the people’s right to know about their government.
We engage in oversight of the legislative process, focusing on California bills that affect the public’s access to information, meetings or other government proceedings. FAC also weighs in on bills that threaten core First Amendment rights.
WHAT WE OFFER
The Legal Hotline gives users quick, free access to FAC’s lawyers for questions about access to public records, meetings and the courts and your rights under the First Amendment.
A&A is a searchable database of questions posed by users like you about their rights under open government laws and first amendment safeguards that have been answered by FAC’s attorneys.
FAC’s resources for using California (CPRA) and federal (FOIA) laws to obtain public records, including FAC’s CPRA Primer; a Police Transparency Guide; and a template for CPRA request letter.
Resources for California’s open-meetings law, including our Brown Act Primer on how the law works and a sample Cure & Correct demand letter.
FAC defends press freedom by ensuring journalists in need receive pro bono legal defense in the event they are subject to subpoena or other legal threat seeking their confidential sources or unpublished materials.