If the speech is protected, the US Supreme Court has not only held that no negative consequences can follow, they have struck down laws that have merely had a "chilling effect" on free expression.
In Lamont v. Postmaster General (1965), the Court struck down a postal regulation requiring individuals who wished to receive communist literature to sign up at the post office. Although the program included no sanctions against recipients, the Court said it would chill individuals who wanted the material but were afraid to make their wishes known to the government.https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/897/chilling-effect