Amicus Brief in Support of Amanda Wallace
On August 17, Advancement Project filed an amicus brief in support of Amanda Wallace, a Black organizer in North Carolina whose speech is being restricted in violation of the First Amendment.
Her case is about more than one organizer or agency. It reflects a national crisis in which protest—especially protest led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, trans, and other marginalized people—is increasingly vilified as a threat to public order rather than a constitutionally protected form of democratic participation.
The Constitution protects all forms of dissent, not just “polite” dissent that is pre-approved by the state. When courts coerce individuals to “tone down” dissent, they convert constitutional protection into permission granted by the very institutions being challenged.