The First Amendment protects many activities related to voting — expressing political views near polling stations, signing petitions to put initiatives on a ballot, receiving news coverage on the various candidates. But it stops short of protecting voting itself. The right to express ourselves freely is far more protected under the law than the right […]
Lata Nott, Freedom Forum fellow for First Amendment, discusses cancel culture in this month’s edition of First Five Express.
This column expresses the views of Lata Nott, Freedom Forum fellow. On Friday, Aug. 28, Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana introduced a bill called the “Support Peaceful Protest Act.” Despite the cheery title, its very purpose appears to be to make individuals think twice before attending any sort of protest. If the bill were to […]
This column expresses the views of Lata Nott, Freedom Forum fellow. Last week, I spoke (virtually, of course) with a group of journalism students about how the First Amendment relates to, and protects, the work they’ll soon be doing. I walked them through the major legal doctrines that protect freedom of expression in this country:
This column expresses the views of Lata Nott, Freedom Forum fellow. How do you protest safely during a pandemic? While there’s no way to eliminate the danger, one of the obvious and universally recommended measures to mitigate the risk is to wear a mask.
The biggest decision the Supreme Court makes this year may turn out to be its pivot to allow real-time audio broadcasts of its arguments for the first time in its history.
By now, hearing the president insult journalists is commonplace. Whether he’s accusing them of peddling fake news, calling them enemies of the American people, or threatening to revoke their Pulitzer prizes, the rhetoric has always been pretty toxic.
Our COVID-19 crisis has been escalating quickly and with it, the potential collision with the First Amendment over issues involving religious liberty and the right of assembly.
In times of crisis, safety and freedom may seem like they’re at odds with each other. A society that respects individual liberty can’t implement the same kinds of drastic laws and policies that a more authoritarian one can.
The First Amendment protects your right to express yourself freely. While you can do a lot of different things with that freedom, its highest purpose, and the reason that the Constitution’s framers wanted you to have it, is to express yourself politically.
