List of prominent cases argued by Floyd Abrams

This page contains a list and short descriptions of Floyd Abrams's most influential and famous cases. As an advocate of the First Amendment, Abrams' career has put him in a class of prominent legal scholars who have shaped American understanding of fundamental rights found in the United States Constitution. That work is documented here. In his 2005 book Speaking Freely, he outlines his knowledge of and perspective on the cases below. In this memoir, Abrams states this collection of cases showcases the work people have put into free speech in the United States.

In his review of the book, Lee Levine wrote "that the modern history of the freedom of the press in this country is intimately associated with the career and work of Floyd Abrams." His career matured in the late 1960s, right after the Supreme Court decided New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964). He has worked on the Pentagon Papers case and Branzburg v. Hayes (1972), to Landmark Communications v. Virginia (1978) and Smith v. Daily Mail Publishing Co. (1979), to Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart (1976). He has defended numerous clients, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art from Rudolph Giuliani over the Sensation exhibition, NBC from Wayne Newton, and Al Franken from a trademark lawsuit from Fox News Channel over the use of the phrase "Fair and Balanced" in the title of his book.

In his memoir Speaking Freely, Abrams states this was the first case he argued by himself before the Supreme Court. He states that he devoted most of their preparation for the case with three overlapping issues, "ones that have consumed my attention in every later Supreme Court argument as well." First was jurisprudential: What rule of law would they urge the Court to adopt? What would be its effect as stare decisis and its impact on the First Amendment? The Second Question was tactical: Justices are known for taking up the 30 minutes of allotted argument time with question-and-answer sessions; Abrams felt he needed to figure out his core message. What did he want to get across in as little time as possible? The Third Question was what the court might ask that would be exceptionally difficult to respond to, and what should those responses be?

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