Are Student Walkouts Protected By the First Amendment?
After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students around the country quickly began to protest gun violence. One way gaining much attention: student walkouts. School administrators have responded both positively and negatively to these demonstrations. Now various advocacy groups are calling for a national walkout for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. March 14 in solidarity with the victims of the Florida tragedy. Are these protests protected by the First Amendment?
New Survey Finds First Amendment Challenges on College Campuses
Gallup, the Knight Foundation, the American Council on Education, Charles Koch Institute and the Stanton Foundation worked together to update a 2016 landmark survey of college students and their thoughts […]
Efforts to Protect College Media From Suppression Gain Traction
College Media Association President Chris Evans reviews efforts over the past year to ensure college press freedom. A 2016 report sponsored by the American Association of University Professors, the College […]
Authors Share Excerpts on Free Speech: Erwin Chemerinsky & Howard Gillman and Free Speech on Campus
Free Speech on Campus "provides the background necessary to understanding the importance of free speech on campus and offers clear prescriptions for what colleges can and can’t do when dealing with free speech controversies." - Yale University Press
First Amendment: By the Numbers
With controversies swirling daily about the freedom of speech and press, what is the state of public support for the First Amendment? Several nonprofit organizations—the Newseum First Amendment Institute, the […]
Senate Hearing on “Exploring Free Speech on College Campuses”
A FIRE summary states that “Providing testimony before the committee were Robert Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago; Nadine Strossen, New York Law School professor, former president of the ACLU, and current […]
Controversial Speaker Causes Florida Governor to Declare State of Emergency
In August, Richard Spencer was at the center of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. On Thursday, he is set to speak at the University of Florida and Governor […]
Free Speech Defender? Attorney General Enters Campus Free Speech Debate
At an invitation-only event at Georgetown University law school, Attorney General Jeff Sessions jumped into the debate over campus speech by stating that the First Amendment had suffered from "political correctness and homogeneous thought" and that "a national recommitment to free speech on campus" was needed. While some applauded the administration's commitment to free speech, protestors rallied against attacks on the First Amendment by the administration.