Is The ACLU Retreating On Free Speech? The Controversy and Debate
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a non-partisan civil rights organization, has recently been criticized for allegedly retreating from their stance on free expression, as a result of a leaked […]
Lata Nott: Does It Really Matter That Americans Don’t Know Exactly What The First Amendment Says?
The Newseum Institute’s First Amendment expert, Lata Nott, originally published this op-ed on the Newseum blog and in local newspapers across the country, and has given First Amendment Watch permission […]
Flag Art Installation At University of Kansas Did Not Sit Well With All Stripes, Including Governor
The University of Kansas removed an altered U.S. flag that was flying on campus as part of an art exhibit amid criticism from politicians, including the state’s governor. The flag, […]
Judge Lifts Order On The Los Angeles Times To Alter News Story
The First Amendment has always been seen as providing, at a very minimum, freedom from censorship by the government or by a private party acting through an injunction issued by a judge. The Los Angeles Times will rely on this argument as it fights a court order that required it to take down part of a published piece on Saturday.
Lawyers Argue In Appeal That Text Messages Sent In Suicide Case Were Protected Speech
Lawyers for Michelle Carter have filed an appeal in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to overturn the ruling in her involuntary manslaughter conviction, saying the text messages she sent encouraging […]
First Amendment Watch Roundtable: Louis Michael Seidman on “Can Free Speech Be Progressive?”
In his provocative essay forthcoming in Columbia Law Review, Georgetown Law Professor Michael Seidman writes, “Free speech cannot be progressive. At least it can't be progressive if we are talking about free speech in the American context, with all the historical, sociological, and philosophical baggage that comes with the modern, American free speech right. … But the notion that our free speech tradition might be weaponized to advance progressive ends is fanciful.
Wisconsin High Court Sides With Professor In Academic Freedom Case
On July 6, 2018, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Marquette University breached its contract with a former professor after he lost his job over a critical blog post in […]
Teacher Guide: How are NFL Protests Related to Symbolic Speech and the First Amendment?
Symbolic speech as a form of protest, like taking a knee at a football game while others stand for the National Anthem, enjoys a long history in America. The NFL protests—players taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem before NFL games—provides an extraordinary opportunity for teaching how the idea of speech has evolved beyond the spoken word to encompass artistic and symbolic speech.