In my post column today, I look at two upcoming, important free-speech cases:

Let’s face it: The 2008 election season is well under way, yet political speech remains decidedly un-free in America - held hostage to the vanity of John McCain and the cynicism of his accomplices in Congress and the media, who seek to silence their political opponents in the name of clean government.

…

Citizens United, an activist conservative group, wants relief from burdensome disclosure and disclaimers rules in ads for its documentary, “Hillary: The Movie.” While the film isn’t necessarily the most high-minded of cinematic projects (sample from the script: “She is steeped in controversy, steeped in sleaze.”), it is - as political speech - every bit as deserving of First Amendment protection as the newspapers of the early republic or the communist Daily Worker.

The other case relates to SpeechNow.org, which wants to run ads against politicians who support campaign-speech regulation. They’re aiming for irony, and will likely see their efforts to speak out against speech regulation shut down by … speech regulation.