Legalism became the official philosophy of the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BCE) when the first emperor of China, Shi Huangti, rose to power and banned all other philosophies as a corrupting influence.The excesses of the Qin Dynasty's legalism made the regime very unpopular with the people of the time.
Freedom of speech essentially protects all speech. While this seems great (huzzah, we can express opinion!), this also allows controversial groups to make statements without receiving any punishment.
For example, a Neo-nazi group would be allowed to express their opinion and share it with others in America without fear of prosecution.!
-T.B.