Category
Symbolic Speech

Former Virginia Tech Athlete Who Refused to Kneel Reportedly to Receive $100K Settlement

A former Virginia Tech women’s soccer player will reportedly receive $100,000, according to her attorney, in a settlement after suing her coach for allegedly retaliating against her for her political views.

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Virginia Tech Soccer Player’s Free Speech Lawsuit Continues to Trial

A former Virginia Tech women’s soccer player who refused to kneel in support of political protest in 2020 sued her coach for allegedly retaliating against her and forcing her off the team. On Dec. 2, a federal district judge denied the coach’s motion for summary judgment, advancing the case to trial.

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Teacher Takes A Knee During Championship College Football Game

“Not everybody is given the opportunity to have a voice, and I can take a small moment, a respectful moment of protest, and exercise my First Amendment rights, and stand up for my students and for vulnerable adults and for people who are not treated in the way that they should be.”

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Book burning

Students at Georgia Southern University Burn Book By Latina Author

After disagreeing with the way Jennine Capó Crucet’s novel, “Make Your Home Among Strangers,” presented white privilege, a group of students at Georgia Southern University decided to burn her book. The incident serves as an interesting example of a form of expression that is at once protected speech—symbolic speech—and a symbol of censorship.

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Courthouse

Death Sentence of White Supremacist Overturned on First Amendment Grounds

The California Supreme Court unanimously overturned the death sentence of a white supremacist after finding that the prosecution erred by asking the jury to consider his racist beliefs when deciding […]

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Traffic stop

Sixth Circuit: A Raised Middle Finger Is Free Speech

Giving the middle finger is protected speech under the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled. In a 3-0 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit […]

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Jacob Mchagama

Clear and Present Danger: Episode 22: Fighting Words – Free Speech in 18th Century America, Part II

Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech is a podcast hosted by Jacob Mchangama, the founder and executive director of Justitia, a think tank focusing on human rights. […]

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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.

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