Free Speech

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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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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