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Best Brief, 17th Annual National First Amendment Moot Court Competition, Bret Hobson, Lauren Mock

Competition Materials

From First Amendment Center News Release:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The team from George Mason University School of Law won the 17th Annual National First Amendment Moot Court Competition today at the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University.

Recognized for “best brief” in the competition were Bret Hobson and Lauren Mock of the University of Georgia School of Law; and for “best oralist,” Ryan Faulconer of the University of Virginia School of Law.

The competition this year focused on a hypothetical case involving commercial speech, specifically attorney advertising. Teams of student advocates from 35 law schools argued both sides of complex …

An Expressive Jurisprudence Of The Establishment Clause, Ivan E. Bodensteiner, Alex Geisinger

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

F(R)Ee Expression: Reconciling Copyright & The First Amendment, Raymond Shih Ray Ku

Faculty Publications

This essay explores the relationship between copyright and free speech by critically evaluating the proposition that conflicts between the two can be eliminated because the Framers intended both to be engines for free expression. My purpose is not to set forth a comprehensive theory of copyright and free speech, but is more modest. This essay argues that while useful, reference to the Framers' intent only goes so far in avoiding conflicts between copyright and free speech, and when viewed outside of the facts presented by Harper & Row and Eldred, reliance upon the Framers' intent arguably increases such conflicts. Moreover, …

Panelist Biographies, Introduction By Dana Gold, Editor's Note, Dana L. Gold

Seattle University Law Review

This conference brought together nationally recognized scholars, attorneys, policymakers and activists from across the country who represent a depth of knowledge and range of viewpoints necessary to explore the intersection of corporate and First Amendment law. This discussion was sometimes heated, frequently politically surprising, and always robust. In this symposium issue, the Seattle University Law Review has captured the presentations and exchanges at this unique, multidisciplinary conference.

Gay Pornography And The First Amendment: Unique, First-Person Perspectives On Free Expression, Sexual Censorship, And Cultural Images, Clay Calvert, Robert D. Richards

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Instruments Of Accommodation: The Military Chaplaincy And The Constitution, Robert W. Tuttle, Ira C. Lupu

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This essay addresses the proliferation of constitutional issues involving the military chaplaincy. The authors query how the chaplaincy is consistent with the Establishment Clause of the Constitution's First Amendment and note that the answer generally derives from one or more of the following paradigms: (1) Establishment Clause history; (2) Public funding of religion; or (3) Governmental display of religious messages. They suggest that an adequate approach for Establishment Clause analysis of the military chaplaincy requires a different framework. To that end, Part I of this essay describes Katcoff v. Marsh, the most important decision on the constitutionality of the military …

Should Law Schools Bar Student Organizations From Inviting The Military To Campus For Recruitment Purposes?, Joan Schaffner

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The military's discrimination against gays combined with the Solomon Amendment that forces schools to allow equal access to military recruiters in violation of their non-discrimination policies, upheld by the Supreme Court under constitutional challenge in FAIR v. Rumsfeld, 126 S.Ct. 1297 (2006), has created many difficulties for law schools. The law schools are torn between protecting their gay students from discrimination and enforcing their non-discrimination policy and violating the Solomon Amendment and thus risking the loss of substantial federal funding. In September 2006, the George Washington Law School was presented with a question of first impression. To what extent should …

Corporations And Political Speech: Should Speech Equal Money?, David Skover, Lisa Danetz, Martin Redish, Scott Thomas

Seattle University Law Review

Welcome now to the panel on corporations and political speech. We will explore the First Amendment jurisprudence of campaign finance regulation and some of the more controversial issues raised by corporate involvement in the marketplace of political ideas and elections.

Defining Religion: The Struggle To Define Religion Under The First Amendment And The Contributions And Insights Of Other Disciplines Of Study, Including Theology, Psychology, Sociology, The Arts, And Anthropology, Jeffrey Omar Usman

Law Faculty Scholarship

This article attempts to explore from many vantage points one word within one context — the word “religion” in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The article begins with placing our understanding of religion in a historical context. By exploring the history of religious liberty in the colonies and the Founders’ view thereof, an understanding of what the Founders were seeking to protect by safeguarding religious liberty will be gained. Having established this framework, the article then addresses overarching issues that complicate the quest to define religion. Then, the article transitions into an exploration of the development of …

A Proposal To Rescue New York Times V. Sullivan By Promoting A Responsible Press, Benjamin Barron

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Of Metaphor, Metonymy, And Corporate Money: Rhetorical Choices In Supreme Court Decisions On Campaign Finance Regulation, Linda L. Berger

Scholarly Works

This Article examines the metaphorical and metonymical framing of corporate money in Supreme Court decisions about campaign finance regulation. Metaphorical influences (corporation as a person, spending money as speech, marketplace of ideas as the model for First Amendment analysis) affected early decisions about the regulation of corporate spending in election campaigns. Later, a metonymical move to isolate corporate money and then to focus on its malevolent tendencies displaced the earlier view of corporate money as speech. This movement was best depicted in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, 540 U.S. 93 (2003), the Supreme Court's 2003 decision on the Bipartisan Campaign …

No Reason To Live: Dilution Laws As Unconstitutional Restrictions On Commercial Speech, Mary Lafrance

Scholarly Works

Traditionally, trademark and unfair competition laws have protected trademark owners against unauthorized uses of their marks that are likely to confuse or mislead consumers about the origin of goods or services. If a particular use is not likely to confuse or mislead, then it is not actionable under traditional infringement regimes. When applied to commercial speech, as opposed to noncommercial expression, traditional trademark and unfair competition laws generally have survived scrutiny under the First Amendment, because these laws restrict only commercial speech that is false or misleading.

Dilution laws, however, do not restrict speech that is false or misleading. Dilution …

Corporate Personhood And The Rights Of Corporate Speech, Adam Winkler

Seattle University Law Review

My objective here is to provide a little historical background on business corporations and their place in First Amendment law. In the course of that overview, I will also make a few observations that I believe can be helpful in thinking about corporate speech rights. First, I will argue that one aspect of the constitutional status of corporations-the notion of corporate personhood-has not played the central role in shaping corporate speech rights that some believe. Corporations have free speech rights, but they are more limited than those held by individuals. Second, I will argue that there is not a single …

The Corporatization Of Communication, Eric Chiappinelli, Adam Candeub, Jeffrey Chester, Lawrence Soley

Seattle University Law Review

Our next panel discusses the corporatization of communication.

Institutional Academic Freedom Or Autonomy Grounded Upon The First Amendment: A Jurisprudential Mirage, Richard H. Hiers

UF Law Faculty Publications

In recent decades, several federal judges and Supreme Court Justices have stated that, at some time or another in the past, the Court determined that public universities or their professional schools are entitled to institutional academic freedom (or institutional autonomy) under the First Amendment. Notwithstanding the views of many learned commentators, the Court has never so held. Concurring opinions and dicta do not constitute Constitutional law. This article traces the series of misattributions, misreadings and other errors that have contributed to the present peculiar state of confusion in regard to these matters.

Introducing A Takedown For Trade Secrets On The Internet, Elizabeth A. Rowe

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article explores, for the first time, an existing void in trade-secret law. When a trade-secret owner discovers that its trade secrets have been posted on the Internet, there is currently no legislative mechanism by which the owner can request that the information be taken down. The only remedy to effectuate removal of the material is to obtain a court order, usually either a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction. When a trade secret appears on the Internet, the owner often loses the ability to continue to claim it as a trade secret and to prevent others from using …

Corporations And Commercial Speech, Ron Collins, Mark Lopez, Tamara Piety, David Vladeck

Seattle University Law Review

Today's discussion will be about a rather famous case-actually, a non-case, Nike v. Kasky.

The Public's Right To Fair Use: Amending Section 107 To Avoid The "Fared Use" Fallacy, Wendy J. Gordon, Daniel Bahls

Faculty Scholarship

Under provocative titles like "Fared Use" and "The End of Friction," commentators argue about whether or not the copyright doctrine of fair use should exist in a world of instantaneous transactions. As collecting societies such as the Copyright Clearance Center have become more powerful, and technologies like cellular phones and the internet have made it possible to purchase digital copies by dialing a number or clicking a mouse, the suggestion is sometimes made that fair use could or should disappear. The Second and Sixth Circuits have flirted with foreclosing fair use if a licensing market is present or possible. The …

Government Advertising Space: Lessons For The 'Choose Life' Specialty License Plate Controversy, Dara Purvis

Faculty Scholarship

As license plates emblazoned with the message “Choose Life” have proliferated in twenty-four states, so too have lawsuits challenging such specialty license plates. The holdings of such cases have run the gamut, resulting in a three-way circuit split among the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Circuits. Analysis of the controversy up to this point has not considered an illuminating analogy: advertising space owned and operated by the government. Examining the parallels between advertising space and specialty license plates informs doctrinal analysis of the dispute, demonstrating that state legislatures may not use the current practice of individually establishing specialty license plates through …

Should Corporations Have First Amendment Rights?, Kent Greenfield, Daniel Greenwood, Erik Jaffe

Seattle University Law Review

As Professor Winkler correctly stated, current doctrine emphasizes the rights of listeners rather than the identity of corporate speakers. My argument is, in effect, that this emphasis misses the key point. But I will not deal with listeners directly. I am simply going to assume, rather than argue, that if corporate advertising were ineffective in influencing voters or legislators, normal market processes would eliminate it. I'm going to take it for granted that when corporations speak, it makes a difference in the actual results.

Take Your Seats: A Student's Ability To Protest Immigration Reform At Odds With State Truancy And Compulsory Education Laws, Jason Scronic

Florida A & M University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Morse Code, Da Vinci Code, Tax Code And ... Churches: An Historical And Constitutional Analysis Of Why Section 501(C)(3) Does Not Apply To Churches, Jennifer M. Smith

Journal Publications

This article is about the United States federal tax code and churches. In particular, it discusses the interplay between section 501(c)(3) and churches in America. Section II presents a background of the history of the tax exemption for churches and the judicial holdings relative to that exemption. Section III explores the historical development of the separation between church and state, tax exemptions, and section 501(c)(3). Section V analyzes section 501(c)(3) under the Constitution's free speech and religion clauses. Section V proposes a recommendation, and Section VI is the conclusion.

The Trials Of Lenny Bruce, Douglas O. Linder

Faculty Works

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Lenny Bruce was the spirit of hipness and rebellion. His underdog, idealistic humor took on every American sacred cow, from capitalism to organized religion to sexual mores. Fans were attracted to Bruce's dark sexiness and brutal honesty. Kenneth Tyson described Bruce as fully, quiveringly conscious. Bruce's rise to the status of cultural icon began in the mid-1950s in the strip clubs of southern California where Bruce began to develop the iconoclastic edginess that would be his trademark. In his autobiography, "How to Talk Dirty and Influence People", Bruce described the importance of the …

Keeping Free Speech Free In The College Marketplace Of Ideas: California Legislation As An Imperfect Solution To Censorship By University Administrators, Jennifer Ross

University of San Francisco Law Review

This Comment highlights the difficult position that some private college or university students find themselves in, when it comes to suing to protect their free speech rights. As such, this Comment argues that in order for pending California legislation to go the full distance in fostering a "marketplace of ideas", the legislature should pass additional bills to protect private college students from Hosty-type administrative censorship.

Twentieth Century Approaches To Defining Religion: Clifford Geertz And The First Amendment, Barbara Barnett

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Shifting Toward Balance, Not Conservatism: The Court's Interpretation Of The Lemon Test's Legislative Intent Prong And Reaction From The Electorate, Kedrick N. Whitmore

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Our Structural Constitution: Religious Freedom And Church Autonomy (A Response To Mark Chopko, "Constitutional Reflections On The Parish: An Entity In The Fabric Of The Church."), Richard W. Garnett

Journal Articles

From the Article

The freedom and autonomy of the Church, for which Mark Chopko has been such an able advocate, are not easily separated from both the history and the health of political freedom under constitutionally limited government. In our political tradition, the challenge has always been to find the limiting principle that would check the encroachments of civil power and preserve these immunities.

Documents, Leaks, And The Boundaries Of Expression: Government Whistleblowing In An Over Classified Age, Susan Nevelow Mart

Publications

No abstract provided.

There’S Just One Hitch, Will Smith: Examining Title Vii, Race, Casting, And Discrimination On The Fortieth Anniversary Of Loving V. Virginia, Angela Onwuachi-Willig

Faculty Scholarship

In this Symposium Essay, I use Loving v. Virginia as a backdrop for exploring why our society allows, without legal challenge, customer preference or discrimination to unduly influence casting decisions for actors paired in romantic couples in movies and television. In so doing, I examine how existing anti-discrimination law in employment can and should be used to address these improper influences within the entertainment industry. In Part I of the Essay, I first survey the growing practice of casting intraminority couples casting in films and television and examine how such casting, despite its appeal on the surface, may work to …

Institutional Review Boards, Regulatory Incentives, And Some Modest Proposals For Reform, Dale Carpenter

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

It is time to rethink the role of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in approving social science research. While most law professors conduct their research in an almost unregulated environment - pouring through cases, statutes, and each other's articles, all without the kind of human interaction subject to IRB regulation - their colleagues elsewhere in the university have been coping for decades with an increasingly intrusive bureaucracy that sometimes undermines basic academic values. Three things seem very clear. First, there are a lot of IRBs - at least 4,000 - and their numbers are growing. Second, they have recently "increased their …