Contemplating Media & the First Amendment
By: Sarah C Last week, the New York Times published a bombshell article bringing Brett Kavanaugh back into the public consciousness. The article told the story of Deborah Ramirez, a classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale who was sexually harassed by him at a party. She recounted that Kavanaugh repeatedly thrust his penis in her face... Continue Reading →
Have you ever been describing a night out with friends or a date and omitted a few details depending on who you were talking to? Not because you yourself were ashamed of what happened, but because you knew that person would not be comfortable hearing the details of the night. This comfort threshold, held... Continue Reading →
Seven years ago, the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) rejected a proposed bus advertisement from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Freethought Society, an organization for atheists, agnostics, secularists, and skeptics. COLTS refused to run the ad because it included the word “atheist.” This decision was on the basis that it's the policy of the transit system... Continue Reading →
Anthony Lewis's Freedom for the Thought that we Hate tackled another taboo subject from our handy list of human rights this week. In his chapter titled "Another's Lyric," Lewis outlined how the Supreme Court decides what’s too raunchy for media and what isn’t. As one of mankind’s greatest motives, sex is a historically hot topic... Continue Reading →
In the study of constitutionally protected speech, there is much discussion on whether speech that incites violence, hate crimes, or intentional falsehoods should be protected. There is however, another category in which speech can and has been regulated that has nothing to do with its content or potential for violence. Sometimes, the overexercise of speech... Continue Reading →
Does the First Amendment protect your right to lie? Is it still protected speech if it is false speech? The short answer is yes and no. Yes, false statements are protected as a form of speech, but no, it isn't in all cases. As Brandon May explains in a recent article, "The Supreme Court states... Continue Reading →
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The United States of America, the land of the free and home of the brave. I often think about the significance of these words. What makes America great? Is it actually great? In this incessant news cycle, there is always something that disappoints and/or stresses me out. One week, it’s the President’s denial of climate... Continue Reading →
Protecting the First Amendment often conflicts with protecting other values, like the right to a fair trial, fair elections and national security. In chapter 11 of Freedom for the Thought We Hate, author Anthony Lewis discusses the struggle that comes with balancing the First Amendment with other interests. Protecting the right to a fair trial... Continue Reading →
This is the picture that sparked a national uproar when, despite being taken in May, went viral on Twitter earlier this month. The photo shows a large group of mostly white high school students from Baraboo, Wisconsin posing for a prom picture by raising their arms in Nazi salutes. The picture was captioned, “We even... Continue Reading →
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