On February 23, 2026, NWLC joined an amicus brief led by the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Media Matters for America v. Federal Trade Commission, in support of Media Matters’ effort to oppose a retaliatory FTC civil investigatory demand.
Our brief argues that the civil investigatory demand chills advocacy to combat hate speech and discrimination online and that boycotts organized to address hate and discrimination are not subject to antitrust laws. Further, we raise concerns that giving agencies the power to use civil investigatory tools to target advocacy groups that challenge the government, its policy objectives, or its allies, would force groups to waste money and resources on compliance or litigation, ultimately undermining their speech and advocacy. Read the brief here.