Category
Glossary

Hate Speech: Fighting Words

Fighting words refer to direct, face-to-face, personal insults that would likely lead the recipient to respond with violence. The U.S. […]

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Libel: Protecting Vital Political Speech

Until 1964 when the Supreme Court decided New York Times v. Sullivan, and extending back many centuries, public officials had […]

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Emotional Distress: “Outrageousness” Has an Inherent Subjectiveness

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress A satiric attack on Jerry Falwell, a Baptist pastor and founder of the conservative group, […]

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Symbolic Speech: Our Inheritance from the Founding Period

What is Symbolic Speech and why is it important in our Free Speech debate? First Amendment Watch delves into this […]

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Hate Speech: Freedom to Express the “Thought That We Hate”

Is offensive speech, and especially hate speech, protected by the First Amendment? Some protesters use profane and scurrilous language to […]

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Prior Restraint: Strong Protection Against Government Censorship

Prior restraints go at least as far back as 16th century England, when invention of the printing press made it […]

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Public Forums: Protecting Demonstrations in the Streets

The underlying law on public forums is well established. Traditional public forums include such areas as streets, sidewalks and parks […]

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Privacy: Newsworthiness is a Strong Defense

Privacy (Embarrassing Private Facts) Disclosure of private facts about an individual, according to the Restatement (Second) of Torts, can give […]

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