· For the third consecutive year, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision consistent with an amicus brief submitted by the Freedom to Read Foundation. This year it was on the tricky issue of whether someone can be prosecuted for lying (in this case, about military honors). The key issue in U.S. v. Alvarez – and one the FTRF stressed in our brief – was whether Congress can create a new class of constitutionally unprotected speech. We are pleased that the Court continues to acknowledge the harmful effects of such threats to the First Amendment.

· Also in 2012 we have been increasingly focused on the issue of filtering. We’re seeing more and more cases where these technological tools are blocking our right to engage, learn, and grow—and abridge our First Amendment rights. Recently we worked with a Missouri consortium to ensure their filters’ default settings didn't unconstitutionally discriminate against LGBT students. Our general counsel, Theresa Chmara, issued a memorandum about the legal context of filtering, in order to guide libraries going forward. And we were proud to be a national promotional partner of the American Association of School Librarians’ Banned Websites Awareness Day, which brought the issue to the forefront for school librarians, students, and teachers.