This column expresses the views of David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Fellow of the Freedom Forum. “It is a fair summary of history to say that the safeguards of liberty have frequently been forged in controversies involving not-very nice people.” So wrote Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter in his dissenting opinion in United States […]
This column expresses the views of David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Fellow of the Freedom Forum. First Amendment free-speech law has many important principles, rules, doctrines and exceptions. It has been called labyrinthine, complex, convoluted and confusing. But one rule stands supreme above all others in the world of free speech. That rule is […]
This column expresses the views of David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Fellow of the Freedom Forum. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020), the second woman to ever serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, is best known for her pioneering advocacy against gender discrimination. Much like Thurgood Marshall, Ginsburg was a seasoned Supreme Court advocate before […]
This column expresses the views of David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Fellow of the Freedom Forum. “She is an inspiring woman who I believe will make a great justice,” President Barack Obama announced to the country in nominating Sonia Sotomayor on May 26, 2009. “Over a distinguished career that spans three decades, Judge Sotomayor […]
This column expresses the views of David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Fellow of the Freedom Forum. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Monday to keep a federal law banning most robocalls and remove an exception allowing for government debt-collector robocalls also carried a strong message that the court will not permit government officials to selectively […]
This column expresses the views of David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment Fellow, Freedom Forum. Public school principals, teachers and other employees must realize that controversial social media posts may lead to discipline and ultimately no First Amendment protection for their inflammatory comments. Public employees retain rights as citizens to comment on matters of public […]
A dizzying array of court decisions has been issued regarding various First Amendment challenges to governmental orders limiting public assemblies, including religious gatherings.
“For it is a prized American privilege to speak one’s mind, although not always with perfect good taste, on all public institutions.” So wrote Justice Hugo Black in Bridges v. State of California (1941), reversing contempt citations for a labor leader and newspaper for commenting on pending litigation.
A man interviewed on the show “The First 48” lost his negligence claim against the producers of the show, a Texas state appeals court has ruled in part because of the First Amendment.
Occupy Wall Street protestors lost their First Amendment retaliation claims before a federal appeals court, which ruled that N.Y. Police Department (NYPD) officers had probable cause to arrest them for disorderly conduct and trespass.
