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Journal

First Amendment

Fordham Law School

Civil Rights and Discrimination

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Why The Law Needs Music: Revisiting Naacp V. Button Through The Songs Of Bob Dylan, Renee Newman Knake Jan 2012

Why The Law Needs Music: Revisiting Naacp V. Button Through The Songs Of Bob Dylan, Renee Newman Knake

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The law needs music, a truth revealed by revisiting the United States Supreme Court’s opinion in NAACP v. Button through the songs of Bob Dylan and the play Music History. This Essay proceeds in three parts. Part I opens with a summary of the Court’s decision in NAACP v. Button, focusing particularly on the expanded understanding of First Amendment rights related to access to the law that flow from this legal opinion. Part II explains the inspiration for this Essay, Seaton’s play Music History, which reveals the influence of music on law and culture during the civil rights movement. Part …


Targeting Conduct: A Constitutional Method Of Penalizing Hate Crimes, Kevin N. Ainsworth Jan 1993

Targeting Conduct: A Constitutional Method Of Penalizing Hate Crimes, Kevin N. Ainsworth

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Forty-three states have enacted hate-crime statutes. These laws generally fall into one of two classes, either hate-speech or penalty-enhancement statutes. The former has sought to control virulent expression by punishing the utterance or display of words or symbols that the user knows will arouse anger in others on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, or some other immutable characteristic. The United States Supreme Court examined an ordinance of this type in R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul and found that the law infringed on the First Amendment right to free speech. Penalty enhancement statutes vary slightly among states, but …