Law Professor Timothy Zick talks about his new book “The First Amendment in The Trump Era”
The book is as much a portrait of today’s free speech landscape as a refresher in First Amendment history. Zick highlights the fragility of narrowly won protections for free speech and press, and the very real need to defend them.
Authors Share Excerpts on Free Speech: Timothy Zick on The First Amendment in the Trump Era
In The First Amendment in the Trump Era, Timothy Zick catalogs and analyzes the various First Amendment conflicts that have occurred during the Trump presidency. It places these conflicts in historical context–as part of our current digitized and polarized era but also as part of a broader narrative concerning attacks on free speech and press. We must understand what is familiar in terms of the First Amendment concerns of the present era, but also what is distinctive about these concerns.
Police Arrest Two Students at the University of Connecticut for Using a Racial Slur
While the boys’ language was undoubtedly offensive, civil liberties groups say the statute used to arrest them is unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds.
Trump first floated the idea that he would terminate the White House’s subscription during an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity on Monday night. “We don’t even want it in the White House anymore,” Trump said referring to The New York Times. “We’re going to probably terminate that and The Washington Post.”
Student Activists Boycott The Harvard Crimson after Reporters Contacted ICE for a Story
The newspaper has since put out a statement defending "the belief that every party named in a story has a right to comment or contest criticism leveled against them" as a way to "ensure the integrity, fairness, and accuracy" of their reporting.
Rachel Maddow Seeks Dismissal of $10 Million Libel Suit
Rachel Maddow, represented by Ted Boutrous of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, is asking a judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California to dismiss a $10 million defamation suit filed against her by One America News Network (OAN).
Zuckerberg Defends Facebook’s Policies in Speech at Georgetown University
By invoking the United State’s unique commitment to protecting free expression, Zuckerberg sought to draw attention towards the positive aspects of social media.
Trump Threatens to Sue CNN Over Its Coverage of Him, Claiming “False Advertising”
“Never in the history of this country has a President been the subject of such a sustained barrage of unfair, unfounded, unethical and unlawful attacks by so-called ‘mainstream’ news, as the current situation,” wrote Trump attorney Charles Harder in a four-page letter to CNN.