Lobbying in the United States describes paid activity in which
special interests hire well-connected professional advocates, often lawyers, to argue for specific legislation in decision-making bodies such as the
United States Congress. It is a highly controversial phenomenon, often seen in a negative light by journalists and the American public. While lobbying is subject to extensive and often complex rules which, if not followed, can lead to penalties including jail, the activity of lobbying has been interpreted by court rulings as constitutionally-protected
free speech and a way to petition the government for the redress of grievances, two of the freedoms protected by the
First Amendment of the
Constitution. Since the 1970s, lobbying activity has grown immensely in the United States in terms of the numbers of lobbyists and the size of lobbying budgets, and has become the focus of much criticism of American governance.