Law Commons^™

Disfavored Speech About Favored Rights: Hill V. Colorado, The Vanishing Public Forum And The Need For An Objective Speech Discrimination Test, Jamin B. Raskin, Clark L. Leblanc

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Injustice In Our Schools: Students' Free Speech Rights Are Not Being Vigilantly Protected, Heather K. Lloyd

Northern Illinois University Law Review

For many years, the Supreme Court and lower courts have been struggling to protect students' free speech rights while allowing school officials to operate schools efficiently and effectively. In the past this balance was struck in favor of protecting students' rights by only allowing regulations that are necessary to avoid substantial disruption to the school environment. For the past fourteen years, however, the balance has been struck in favor of schools and against protecting students' rights by upholding the regulations of school officials as long as they are reasonable. This lower standard of scrutiny for school regulations imposed on students …

Rewriting Near V. Minnesota: Creating A Complete Definition Of Prior Restraint, Michael I. Meyerson

All Faculty Scholarship

The decision in Near v. Minnesota, while establishing the prior restraint doctrine as a critical element for First Amendment analysis, failed to give a definition of prior restraint. The result has been inconsistent and unpredictable application of the doctrine as well as diminished protection of free expression. This article takes the next critical step in the journey begun by Near v. Minnesota; it attempts to create a comprehensive definition of prior restraint using the principles of separation of powers. Because all three branches can create 'prior restraints,' the prevention of unconstitutional restraints will necessitate different safeguards depending on which branch …

Free Speech And The Limits Of Legislative Discretion: The Example Of Specialty License Plates, Leslie Gielow Jacobs

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

The Neglected History Of The Prior Restraint Doctrine: Rediscovering The Link Between The First Amendment And The Separation Of Powers, Michael I. Meyerson

All Faculty Scholarship

The prior restraint doctrine, once so fundamental to Constitutional Jurisprudence, has lost much of its effectiveness over the years. Nevertheless, prior restraint doctrine is crucial to preserving the line between protected and unprotected speech. One of the fundamental problems that contribute to the current ineffectiveness of prior restraint doctrine is that there exists no comprehensive definition of "prior restraint". This article chronicles the historical roots of prior restraint in order to arrive at a generally accepted legal definition. Through the course of this historical journey, the article yields a heretofore unexplored aspect of prior restraint doctrine, namely that prior restraint …

Censorship Tsunami Spares College Media: To Protect Free Expression On Public Campuses, Lessons From The "College Hazelwood" Case, Richard J. Peltz-Steele

Faculty Publications

Since the advent of journalism schools in the college academy, student publications have taken their place as a vital component of campus life. As counterparts to the Fourth Estate in the society at large, college journalists act as watchdogs on student government, ensuring that student money is wisely spent and student justice equitably administered. As an outpost of the Fourth Estate, college journalism serves all the public by monitoring the administration of higher education. In September 1999, a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit threatened to radically distort the face of college journalism by rendering …

Islam As Intellectual Property: 'My Lord! Increase Me In Knowledge', Ali Khan

Ali Khan

The distinction between assets and ideas lies at the core of the misunderstanding between Islam and secularism, the strongest version of which is unfolding in the United States. Muslims view Islam as knowledge-based (intellectual) property, not an idea. Secularists reduce Islam to a mere idea, reserving the notion of intellectual property for literary and artistic works, inventions, patents, films, computer programs, designs, trademarks, and trade secrets. Muslims elevate the knowledge-based assets of Islam to the highest level of protection, more than the intellectual work of any scientist, artist, or corporation. Even in the face of a rising tide of secularism …

Restricting Hate Speech Against Private Figures: Lessons In Power-Based Censorship From Defamation Law, Victor C. Romero

Journal Articles

This article examines the debate between those who favor greater protection for minorities vulnerable to hate speech and First Amendment absolutists who are skeptical of any burdens on pure speech. The author also provides another perspective on the debate by highlighting the "public/private figure" distinction as an area within First Amendment law that acknowledges differences in power, a construct anti-hate speech advocates should use to further their cause. Specifically, the author places the "public/private figure" division in a theoretical and historical context and then provides empirical support for the thesis that whites enjoy a more prominent societal role and greater …

Muzzling Death Row Inmates: Applying The First Amendment To Regulations That Restrict A Condemned Prisoner's Last Words, Kevin F. O'Neill

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This Article asserts that the privilege to deliver a last dying speech— uttered in the presence of, and made audible to, the assembled witnesses in the moments just before one's execution—is a First Amendment right, and that prison policies departing from its traditional exercise are unconstitutional. After canvassing the state prison policies that govern last words, this Article will recount the long historical tradition surrounding their utterance—a history that reveals the extraordinary degree to which Anglo-American governments have honored the privilege.Next, this Article will draw a parallel between the right to utter one's last words and the well-established right of …

Hate In Cyberspace: Regulating Hate Speech On The Internet, Alexander Tsesis

San Diego Law Review

The speed at which information can be spread throughout the United States and other countries has been greatly enhanced by the Internet. This computer-driven, technological medium consists of various modes of transmission, including discussion groups, interactive pages, and mail services. A wide variety of pictorial, auditory, and written information is available on the Internet. Persons with disparate goals can access and affect large audiences through it. Both those seeking social improvement and those promoting racist violence can now increase the magnitude, diversity, and location of their audiences. Persons advancing

democratic ideals and those inclined to exclusionary elitism can use e- …

Constitutional Law: State Campaign Contribution Limits: Nixon V. Shrink Missouri Government Pac: An Abridgment Of Freedom In The Name Of Democracy, Richard J. Baker

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Law: United States V. Viefhaus And The Demise Of The Libertarian Philosophy In Free Speech Jurisprudence, Stephanie D. Wade

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Why Doesn’T She Leave? The Collision Of First Amendment Rights And Effective Court Remedies For Victims Of Domestic Violence, Laurie S. Kohn

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This Article examines the potential constitutional barriers to the issuance of protection orders that restrict the speech of batterers in domestic violence cases. Focusing on threats by batterers to divulge information related to the victim’s HIV or immigration status and sexual orientation, this Article considers the court’s authority to protect victims as they try to escape abuse despite their fear of the dissemination of this confidential, truthful information . After examining the possible barriers to such restrictions under relevant First Amendment doctrine, the Article concludes that the orders are not only normatively important, but are likely to be constitutionally sound …

The Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Religious Club’S Right To Meet On Public School Premises: Is This “Good News” For First Amendment Rights?, Thomas A. Schweitzer

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

First Amendment Protects Crude Protest Of Police Action, Martin A. Schwartz

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.