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Marches at a standstill: the new limits on assembly
By Ken Paulson Though cities have right to some controls over protests, they've taken to routinely curtailing them.  02.23.03

The big buy: a new way to censor newspapers
By Ken Paulson Sheriff's deputies may learn you can't silence critics by paying for end-run around the Constitution.  02.09.03

Copyright extensions put profits ahead of the public
By Ken Paulson How a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision may affect the balance between copyright protection and free speech for decades.  01.26.03

Downloading a free press: the new rules of libel
By Ken Paulson Question of which court should hear online-libel case will have real consequences for quality, quantity, scope of news reporting worldwide.  01.12.03

When free speech is in the cards
By Ken Paulson Controversy over 'Heroes of the World Trade Center' trading cards appears to be more about form than content.  12.29.02

Free Speech Inc.: When companies defend themselves
By Ken Paulson If someone attacks Nike or any other business, the company needs to be able to defend itself in a public forum without being sued for 'deceptive advertising.'  12.15.02

Regulating rudeness: why insults aren't a crime
By Ken Paulson School administrators are increasingly tempted to try to control off-campus student speech.  12.01.02

'Free' and other 4-letter words
By Ken Paulson Public profanity can violate our sensibilities, but generally doesn’t violate the law.  11.17.02

Don't stop the presses: respecting the rights of campus newspapers
By Ken Paulson Courts have repeatedly found that college students have full First Amendment protection, regardless of the source of their funding.  11.03.02

A constitutional clash: free speech, copyrights and Mickey Mouse
By Ken Paulson In a society immersed in popular culture, copyrighted materials should be fair game for discussion, exploration and teaching.  10.20.02

The upside of offending: free speech and 'healthy conversations'
By Ken Paulson 'Barbershop' controversy shows that the right to offend is the liberty to challenge the status quo.  10.06.02

Turn the dial: shock radio and freedom of speech
By Ken Paulson Ultimately it’s the public — not the FCC — who can apply pressure when on-air stunts get ugly.  09.22.02

We lose sight of our rights when freedom and fear collide
By Ken Paulson Latest First Amendment survey suggests many Americans view our fundamental freedoms as possible obstacles to the war on terrorism.  09.08.02

Private justice: when secrecy undermines safety
By Ken Paulson Secret settlements keep allegations of unsafe products, harmful conduct away from the press and out of the public eye.  08.25.02

Case of the plastic plaintiff: Barbie vs. free speech
By Ken Paulson Despite lighthearted opinion, decision about satirical song was important First Amendment victory.  08.11.02

Rave on: the Grateful Dead and a new generation
By Ken Paulson Congressional move to make entertainment promoters liable for fans' drug use at events would shut down free expression at concerts, dance parties.  07.28.02

Free-speech ruling right call, but could take toll in judges' races
By Ken Paulson Supreme Court wisely lets judicial candidates speak out on issues in election campaigns, but states may want to rethink whether electing judges or appointing them will best preserve court impartiality.  07.14.02

Constitutional crossroads: Where 'under God' meets 'justice for all'
By Ken Paulson Pledge of Allegiance's religious phrase shouldn't have been inserted in 1954, but in 2002 it's a little late to change it.  06.28.02

Landmark decision brought freedom to films
By Ken Paulson Until 1952, nation's courts viewed movie industry as just another business, fully subject to government regulation.  06.16.02

Graduation 2002: One last lesson in freedom
By Ken Paulson First Amendment provides all the guidance we need for these ceremonies: Public schools must respect students' rights to freedom of speech, religion.  06.02.02

Free speech on the Internet: Where old freedoms meet new media
By Ken Paulson In reviewing constitutionality of Child Online Protection Act, high court issues one of its most fragmented decisions in years.  05.19.02

Free speech is the best medicine
By Ken Paulson Supreme Court's non-marquee decisions often are the ones that make the most difference in people's lives.  05.05.02

Campaign-finance law on fast track to Neverland
By Ken Paulson Drafters of McCain-Feingold must have had a head full of pixie dust when they restricted certain pre-election broadcast ads.  04.21.02

Stars, stripes and cell phones: Symbols are secondary in a nation founded on freedom
By Ken Paulson Consider the risk of tampering with the Constitution to prevent a dozen or so people from burning their own U.S. flags each year.  04.07.02

A matter of balance: Secrecy doesn't guarantee security
By Ken Paulson Using the terrorist attacks as justification for this new wave of efforts to close public records would be too easy — and misleading.  03.24.02

Protecting the punch line — it's serious business
By Ken Paulson The right to tell a joke that may offend others is as critical to our way of life as it is to stand on the proverbial soapbox and raise one’s voice in protest.  03.10.02

Movie censorship software: When parents can't say no
By Ken Paulson There's something a little disquieting about turning parental guidance over to a software manufacturer.  02.24.02

Keeping government out of religion — and vice-versa
By Ken Paulson Simple message high atop Bill of Rights sometimes seems lost on public officials.  02.10.02

Slim Shady revisited: Will the real FCC please stand up?
By Ken Paulson Officials made a bizarre series of moves before deciding that edited version of rapper Eminem's song could be played on radio.  01.27.02

Book-burning in America: when wizards go up in smoke
By Ken Paulson Same First Amendment that protects books, music also gives Harry Potter critics right to destroy books in a public demonstration.  01.13.02

Spreading the faith — one windshield at a time
By Ken Paulson Armed with her rights, one woman proves you can fight city hall and win.  12.30.01

The spirit of 1791
By Ken Paulson Happy birthday to the Bill of Rights — including the First Amendment — no less potent today than it was 210 years ago, a living, evolving document that continues to shape our nation.  12.16.01

Dueling polls: How popular is the press?
By Ken Paulson If your local news isn't making the grade, speak up: Sometimes it takes a little free speech to help improve a free press.  12.02.01

Zoning free expression: Public safety and the power of protest
By Ken Paulson Seattle's inability to control hundreds of unruly demonstrators cut off the assembly rights of thousands.  11.18.01

When comedy offends: Revisiting the Smothers Brothers
By Ken Paulson Whether during a war in 1969 or now, Americans show limited appetite for real political satire, commentary.  11.04.01

Pong revisited: Free speech and video games
By Ken Paulson Hitting a ball with a paddle didn’t involve plot, character, ideas — as today's games do.  10.21.01

Politically correct speech
By Ken Paulson This is clearly the wrong time to say the wrong thing.  10.07.01

A patriotic press is a vigilant one
By Ken Paulson Reporters can ask tough questions while wearing flag lapel pins; professionalism and patriotism can and must coexist.  09.23.01

Anti-'Sopranos' sentiment no reason to silence folk-singing actor
By Ken Paulson Dominic Chianese’s scheduled singing appearance canceled in Colorado because promoter doesn’t want ‘to offend anyone.’  09.09.01

The GR8 debate over vanity license plates
By Ken Paulson Express yourself in seven letters or less.  08.26.01

The best reform: Turn off the TV and vote
By Ken Paulson New commission wants networks to stop projecting winners, and proposes gagging elections officials so they can’t report results. Why not just vote instead of using TV coverage as an excuse not to?  08.12.01

Dan and Chandra
By Ken Paulson News media's saturation coverage of gossip and innuendo can take toll on public support for a free press.  07.29.01

1970 revisited: The FCC vs. rock 'n' roll
By Ken Paulson Shades of Vice President Agnew singling out lyrics as regulators fine Colorado station for playing Eminem’s ‘Slim Shady.’  07.15.01

Good news, bad news in latest First Amendment survey
By Ken Paulson American public continues to believe news has valuable watchdog role, keeping an eye on government — but also says government needs to keep media in check.  06.28.01

Stolen conversations and freedom of the press
By Ken Paulson This week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the right of a free press to publish information outweighs concerns about invasive new technology and the right to privacy.  05.27.01

What — me worry? Judge's suppression of Gone With the Wind parody raises concerns
By Ken Paulson Same First Amendment protection for MAD magazine’s ‘Groan With the Wind’ should apply to The Wind Done Gone.  05.20.01

Sex, guns and Johnny Cash
By Ken Paulson Johnny Cash 'shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.'  05.06.01

Ad controversy points up free-speech disparities on campus
By Ken Paulson Those who would seek to punish student media for publishing a controversial ad have lost sight of the role of the First Amendment in transforming race relations in this country.  04.22.01

Earnhardt autopsy photos are public record
By Ken Paulson Why the rush to change Florida law? Public’s demand to stop press from doing its job should worry us all.  04.08.01

Lessons in Freedom: The First Amendment in America's high schools
By Ken Paulson A pop quiz: How many First Amendment freedoms can you name?  03.30.01

41 Shots: Bruce Springsteen and freedom of expression
By Ken Paulson Ken Paulson writes that cops have right to refuse off-duty security work over a song they don't like, but that doesn't make it a good idea.  07.12.00

Where Americans stand on freedom
By Ken Paulson There was a time in this country's history when free speech was truly dangerous.  06.29.00

First freedom protects more than just press
By Ken Paulson I have an interior-decorating suggestion for America's newsrooms.  06.15.00

Nude-dancing case threatens free speech
By Ken Paulson Question: What do eight-track tapes, radio dramas and nude dancing have in common?  04.26.00

Public libraries protect free flow of ideas
By Ken Paulson Children should not be exposed to pornography on computers at the public library.  04.15.00

Confederate flag battle: a time to teach
By Ken Paulson More than 138 years after its creation, the Confederate battle flag remains a potent symbol.  03.15.00

Penalizing hate speech is unsettling business
By Ken Paulson They've pulled the plug on Johnrockersucks.com.  02.15.00

Judges and journalists: Bridging the divide
By Ken Paulson Judges and journalists see their respective worlds in distinctly different ways.  12.15.99

Food Lion verdict reversal has lessons for both sides
By Ken Paulson When a jury awarded $5.5 million to Food Lion in a lawsuit filed against ABC News, it changed the rules of American newsgathering.  11.15.99

College students deserve free expression
By Ken Paulson For years, supporters of campus press freedom have feared a judicial attack on college media, but no one dreamed it would come in the form of a purple yearbook.  10.15.99

Schools should balance safety with free-speech rights
By Ken Paulson Imagine an ordinance prohibiting adults from entering a municipal arena wearing sandals.  09.15.99

Freedom of expression should be inclusive, not exclusive
By Ken Paulson Most Americans believe freedom of the press goes too far.  08.15.99

Kids won't gain rights through religion bill
By Ken Paulson Amid growing public concern about safety in our schools, many politicians have suggested that we need to return religion to the public schools.  07.15.99

Standing up for Constitution is pure patriotism
By Ken Paulson The Tennessee Tea Party was out in full force last month.  06.15.99

Don't settle for scapegoats in Littleton
By Ken Paulson In the aftermath of the horrific massacre in Littleton, Colo., the nation looks for clues and culprits.  05.15.99

Court's verdict in favor of actor violates First Amendment in myriad ways
By Ken Paulson A 'living treasure' is about to get richer.  04.15.99

Ban on lawyer because of racist views is flawed policy
By Ken Paulson The character committee of the Illinois Bar had a tough decision: It could give Matt Hale a license to practice law or give the self-described white supremacist a big career boost.  03.15.99

Disturbing Internet sites will test tolerance of free expression
By Ken Paulson So how much free expression can we stomach?  01.15.99

Reporters ignore importance, complexity of justice system
By Ken Paulson News coverage needs more thorough treatment of courts and how they work.  12.15.98

From Elvis to Kinky, First Amendment protects music designed to shock
By Ken Paulson Cole Porter understood how swiftly society can change:  11.15.98

Parental participation helps safeguard free expression
By Ken Paulson Some people take 'parental guidance' more seriously than others.  10.15.98

Comic books need real heroes to protect First Amendment rights
By Ken Paulson The First Amendment protects Batman. And Robin. And far darker images.  09.15.98

Punishing students who won't recite pledge isn't patriotism
By Ken Paulson Patriotism is the product of pride and personal commitment. Yet an increasing number of legislators and school administrators would like to supplant individual beliefs with their own ideas...  08.15.98

Free speech at risk in 'soft money' legislation
By Ken Paulson After all, one of the reasons the First Amendment was adopted was to protect political speech.  07.15.98

Journalists enhance political debate
By Ken Paulson While it would be unthinkable for the government to try to restrict the number of newspapers, the number of radio and television stations has been regulated by a federal agency since 1927.  06.15.98

Congress should practice true patriotism and reject flag-burning amendment
By Ken Paulson A group of Americans gathers on Long Island to protest the government.  05.15.98

Long arm of high school censors shouldn't reach students' homes
By Ken Paulson For most young people, a classroom is where they first hear about the Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, they learn a different lesson when educators fail to practice what they teach.  04.30.98

Ban on post-trial juror interviews shrouds judicial process
By Ken Paulson When the press asks jurors how they arrived at their verdict, the answers can be revealing.  03.15.98

Page last updated: 10/1/2013 9:51:31 AM