Podcast: First Amendment Heroes!

Podcast: First Amendment Heroes!

The First Amendment is a tenacious right that is cherished by every American. It is truly a privilege for us to have the ability to withhold our private life from the public sphere, namely for the sake of our autonomy. On the other hand, the First Amendment also allows us to express our private life in the public sphere, yet that was not always the case; however that right has been gradated to Americans through the courts interpretation and that is mainly due to the legal endeavor set forth by a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, staring with the Cantwell and Gobitis family in early 20th century. This podcast by The Washington Post lucidly explains the story of these Jehovah’s litigants and how they came to be legal pioneers.

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The Supreme Court's View on Gun Control

The Supreme Court's View on Gun Control

The discussion over gun control has been a prevalent topic in our contemporary public and political discourse. Further, we can anticipate more debate over this issue in the future, especially after the horrendous mass shooting that took place recently in Pittsburg. Needless to say, people have vociferously expressed their position and reasoning in regards to this matter, however the Supreme Court has remained relatively silent by refusing to rule on any Second Amendment cases recently.

U.S. News published an article earlier this year to further analyze the supreme courts “action through inaction” and how some think that the Supreme Court has been intentionally silent about gun control, mainly to avoid the hot potato.

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Podcast: Fourth Amendment Update: 2018

Podcast: Fourth Amendment Update: 2018

This year the Supreme Court has agreed to hear three major 4th Amendment cases and these cases are discussed and examined in this podcast with Professor James Stern from William and Mary’s law school.

The first case is Collins v. Virginia, and the issue at hand is whether it is permissible under the 4th Amendment for law enforcement to search the curtilage (the premises of ones property) without a warrant for a motorcycle that was used previously to flee from the police.

The second case is Byrd v. United States and the legal question in this case in whether a driver of a rental car has any privacy if they are driving the rental under the permission of the person who rented the car but they are not on the rental agreement.

Finally, the last case discussed in this podcast is Carpenter v. United States which ask the court to decide whether the law enforcement has the authority under the 4th Amendment to inquire about one’s whereabouts through the cell site location information (CSLI), which is generated by one’s cellphone.  

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Podcast: The Second Amendment after Las Vegas

Podcast: The Second Amendment after Las Vegas

This is a fascinating two-part podcast regarding our political climate surrounding gun rights in America after the horrendous shooting that took place last year in Las Vegas. The first part is a conversation with historian Saul Cornell from Fordham University who has long studied the history of the 2nd Amendment, further in this section he examines the salient and controversial aspects of individual’s right to keep and bear arms. The second part is a discussion with Professor James Jacobs of New York University, who provides a compelling argument for why gun control is not the answer.

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Podcast: Net Neutrality and Free Speech

Podcast: Net Neutrality and Free Speech

Net neutrality has recently been a hot button issue, but does this topic fit in the framework of the First Amendment? In this podcast, Professor Stewart Harris from Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University attempt to answer that question. In doing so, he interviews two individuals with opposing views on this topic. First he speaks with Roy Gutterman, the Director of Syracuse University’s Tully Center for Free Speech who argues against the Federal Communication Commission recent reversal decision to deregulate net neutrality. Further he interviews Daniel Lyons of Boston College Law School, who does not believe this recent decision vitiates the process in which information gets disseminated through the Internet.

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Article: "Liberals, Don’t Lose Faith in the First Amendment" By David Cole

Article: "Liberals, Don’t Lose Faith in the First Amendment" By David Cole

Some might view the concept of freedom of speech and expression as a “double-edge sword,” yet this article discusses the integral role of freedom of speech in our democracy. David Cole, the author of this article and the national legal director of American Civil Liberties Union, eloquently explains the importance of freedom of speech by exposing the nexus between the people and the government and the elitist.

Notably, the apparatus of a functioning democracy is fundamentally based on the principle of check and balance. To that end, the president has limited tools at his or her disposal to check the other branches of government, like the power to veto; likewise, judges have gavels and big corporation have money to lobby. Conclusively, the crux of this article is people too have the power to check the government and big corporation, thereof the impetus of such power is the freedom of speech, expression, and assembly. Therefore, regardless of your political ideology, you should not lose faith in the First Amendment.

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