We provide free legal aid and resources to researchers, educate the scientific community about their rights and responsibilities, and strengthen legal protections to promote scientific integrity.
Our education programming teaches scientists about the legal issues surrounding their work and ensures they know how to respond to conflicts arising from their research. We also share strategies and information about cases with attorneys.
Learn what’s allowed and what's restricted when engaging in political activities.
Join us for two free webinars on September 28 and October 13 about how scientists from all disciplines can engage in electoral politics.
This guide provides best practices for engaging in advocacy and protests; CSLDF attorneys wrote it with input from experts at the American Civil Liberties Union.
The risk of legal attack on any individual scientist is small, but there are actions researchers can take to protect and defend themselves against politically-motivated attacks.
Luckily, the Silencing Science Tracker, compiled by the Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, has been steadily chronicling the extent to which science is being attacked.
Lauren Kurtz, director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, which has a project tracking silencing of government scientists, says the Health and Human Services case is not unique.
“If top-level administrators issued a really clear public directive, there would be an uproar and a pushback, and it would be easier to combat,” said Lauren Kurtz, director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, which supports scientists. “This is a lot harder to fight.”
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