freedomrankings.comFirst Amendment
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.
Oregon leads all 50 states for First Amendment with a score of 8.0/10, followed by California and New York. Mississippi ranks last. Each state is scored 0–10 on First Amendment from established, annually-updated third-party indexes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mississippi ranks lowest in our First Amendment assessment, reflecting weaker statutory protections like the absence of an anti-SLAPP or shield law.
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.