trump said, “I also will sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America,” during his Inaugural Address on January 20, 2025.
The order is titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship,” numbered Executive Order 14149. The White House posted it on January 20, 2025, and the Federal Register published it on January 28, 2025.
It declares a federal policy to secure constitutionally protected speech, prohibits federal officers and agents from taking actions that would unconstitutionally abridge speech, bars the use of federal funds for such actions, and directs the Attorney General to investigate federal “censorship” over the preceding four years and report back with recommended remedies.
Legal boundaries that govern the promise. Supreme Court doctrine already sets the lines. In NRA v. Vullo (2024), the Court unanimously said officials violate the First Amendment when they use threats or coercive pressure to push private intermediaries to punish disfavored speakers. EO 14149 restates that federal actors must not coerce or significantly encourage suppression of protected speech, and it orders an internal review.
The order’s text mostly codifies conduct already required by the First Amendment and then tasks DOJ to look backward and recommend “appropriate remedial actions.”
This week, senior officials pressured broadcasters over commentary tied to the Charlie Kirk killing; the FCC chair floated license‑related actions; and the administration threatened punishments tied to speech labeled “hate.” Press‑freedom groups warned that such moves conflict with the January pledge and with the First Amendment limits described above.
