First Amendment
Free Speech by State: All 50 States Ranked
The First Amendment sets a national floor, but states add their own layers — anti-SLAPP laws that stop censorship lawsuits, shield laws that protect journalists’ sources, and campus free-speech statutes. This ranking scores all 50 states on First Amendment freedom so you can see where speech and press are best protected. Note: this is one of two categories scored editorially rather than from a single annual index — see the methodology.
Score reflects anti-SLAPP and shield laws, campus free speech, protest protections, and government transparency. Editorial assessment — see methodology. Darker green = stronger; click any state for its full breakdown.
Strongest protections
All 50 states ranked
- 1OROregon8.0A-
- 2CACalifornia8.0A-
- 3NYNew York8.0A-
- 4NHNew Hampshire7.5B+
- 5MNMinnesota7.5B+
- 6VTVermont7.5B+
- 7COColorado7.5B+
- 8CTConnecticut7.5B+
- 9WAWashington7.5B+
- 10ILIllinois7.5B+
- 11MAMassachusetts7.5B+
- 12UTUtah7.0B
- 13MTMontana7.0B
- 14AZArizona7.0B
- 15WYWyoming7.0B
- 16MEMaine7.0B
- 17AKAlaska7.0B
- 18MIMichigan7.0B
- 19VAVirginia7.0B
- 20MDMaryland7.0B
- 21WIWisconsin7.0B
- 22PAPennsylvania7.0B
- 23RIRhode Island7.0B
- 24NJNew Jersey7.0B
- 25NDNorth Dakota6.5B-
- 26SDSouth Dakota6.5B-
- 27MOMissouri6.5B-
- 28NCNorth Carolina6.5B-
- 29FLFlorida6.5B-
- 30IDIdaho6.5B-
- 31KSKansas6.5B-
- 32NVNevada6.5B-
- 33TXTexas6.5B-
- 34OHOhio6.5B-
- 35NMNew Mexico6.5B-
- 36IAIowa6.5B-
- 37NENebraska6.5B-
- 38DEDelaware6.5B-
- 39HIHawaii6.5B-
- 40INIndiana6.0C+
- 41TNTennessee6.0C+
- 42OKOklahoma6.0C+
- 43WVWest Virginia6.0C+
- 44GAGeorgia6.0C+
- 45ALAlabama6.0C+
- 46SCSouth Carolina6.0C+
- 47ARArkansas6.0C+
- 48KYKentucky6.0C+
- 49LALouisiana5.5C
- 50MSMississippi5.5C
Further reading
Anti-SLAPP States: Which States Protect Free Speech From Lawsuits (2026)
An anti-SLAPP law lets you quickly throw out a lawsuit filed just to silence you. 40 states plus DC have one — here’s what they do, which states still don’t, and why it matters.
Press Shield Laws by State: Protecting Journalists’ Sources (2026)
Shield laws let journalists protect confidential sources from being unmasked in court. Nearly every state offers some protection — here’s how it works and the one state with none.
Campus Free Speech Laws by State (2026)
A wave of states have passed laws banning “free-speech zones” and protecting expression at public colleges. Here’s what these laws do and which states have enacted them.
Common questions
Which states have the strongest free-speech protections?
Oregon ranks #1 for First Amendment freedom in our index, scoring 8.0/10 — typically a state with a strong anti-SLAPP law, a press shield law, and campus free-speech protections. The full ranking is above.
What is an anti-SLAPP law?
An anti-SLAPP law lets someone quickly dismiss a meritless lawsuit filed to silence or punish their speech. 40 states plus DC have one; see our anti-SLAPP explainer for the holdouts.
Which states have the weakest free-speech protections?
Mississippi ranks lowest in our First Amendment assessment, reflecting weaker statutory protections like the absence of an anti-SLAPP or shield law.
How is the free-speech score determined?
It is an editorial assessment — there is no single annual index for state speech protections — drawing on anti-SLAPP and shield laws, campus free-speech statutes, and transparency laws. See the methodology page.