Law Commons^™

American Broadcasting And The First Amendment, René L. Todd

Michigan Law Review

A Review of American Broadcasting and the First Amendment by Lucas A. Powe, Jr.

Harry Kalven, The Proust Of The First Amendment, Lee Bollinger

Michigan Law Review

A Review of A Worth Tradition: Freedom of Speech in America by Harry Kalven, Jr.

On The "Auschwitz Lie", Herbert A. Strauss, Ernst Nolte, Helge Grabitz, Christian Meier

Michigan Law Review

In the November 1986 issue of the Michigan Law Review, Professor Eric Stein addressed the then-recent German legislation prohibiting the "Auschwitz lie." The "Auschwitz lie" refers to contemporary attempts to deny the historical truth of the Holocaust.

In the time since his article was published, Professor Stein has corresponded with several European scholars on the issues raised by the 1985 legislation. That correspondence, though brief, highlights the contentious aspects of Professor Stein's analysis; it suggests that the issues of restricting "historical speech," promoting national consciousness, attributing collective guilt, and identifying the role of courts in punishing historical lies remain troublesome …

Free Speech And The "Acid Bath": An Evaluation And Critique Of Judge Richard Posner's Economic Interpretation Of The First Amendment, Peter J. Hammer

Michigan Law Review

Part I of this Note introduces the mechanics of the model Judge Posner has developed to determine whether restrictions upon speech should be upheld. Part II evaluates and critiques Posner's method from an internal perspective. This is first done by examining the theoretical foundations and assumptions of his economic perspective. This part then turns to testing the output and conclusions of the model to determine how successfully the theory can be turned into practice. Part III constitutes an external critique of Posner's model. This part addresses the question of whether the first amendment should be thought of in economic terms. …

Restricting Adult Access To Material Obscene As To Juveniles, Ann H. Coulter

Michigan Law Review

This Note considers whether state regulations that restrict juvenile access to material that is obscene as to minors unconstitutionally encroach upon the first amendment rights of adults. Part I briefly describes the Court's opinion in Ginsberg. Part II introduces the "O'Brien analysis" and discusses the aspects of juvenile access restrictions that tend to make O'Brien scrutiny applicable. In this context the frequently relaxed judicial review of governmental restrictions on sexually related material will be discussed. Having concluded that the O'Brien analysis is applicable to access restrictions, Part III applies the test and ultimately concludes that juvenile access restrictions survive …

Tolerance Theory And The First Amendment, James L. Oakes

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Tolerant Society: Free Speech and Extremist Speech in America by Lee C. Bollinger

Freedom Of Speech, Melissa H. Maxman

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Freedom of Speech by Eric Barendt

Protecting The Best Men: An Interpretive History Of The Law Of Libel, Frank G. Zarb

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Protecting the Best Men: An Interpretive History of the Law of Libel by Norman L. Rosenberg

Law. Liberalism And Free Speech, M. Sean Laane

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Law, Liberalism and Free Speech by D.F.B. Tucker

History Against Free Speech: The New German Law Against The "Auschwitz" -- And Other -- "Lies", Eric Stein

Michigan Law Review

An American observer would expect the central issue in the public debate to be the conflict between the constitutionally protected values of individual freedom of expression on the one hand and public security and personal honor on the other. This, however, has not been the case. To the contrary, the constitutional issue has played a marginal role in the legislative process, and it has been resolved by the courts with obvious ease in favor of the constitutionality of the previous legislation on the same general subject. There is every reason to believe that the new law will also be upheld, …

Interpretations Of The First Amendment, Abner S. Greene

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Interpretations of the First Amendment by

The Press And The Public Interest: An Essay On The Relationship Between Social Behavior And The Language Of First Amendment Theory, Lee C. Bollinger

Michigan Law Review

I would like to explore in this essay one aspect of the contemporary American debate over the theory of freedom of speech and press. The subject I want to address is this: whether the principle of freedom of speech and press should be viewed as protecting some personal or individual interest in speaking and writing or whether it should be seen as fostering a collective or public interest. Sometimes this issue is stated as being whether the first amendment protects a "right to speak" or a "right to hear," though in general the problem seems to be whether we should …

In Search Of A Free Speech Principle, Mark G. Yudof

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Free Speech: A Philosophical Enquiry by Frederick Schauer

Speech And Law In A Free Society, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Speech and Law in a Free Society by Franklyn S. Haiman

The First Amendment Reconsidered: New Perspectives On The Meaning Of Freedom Of Speech And Press, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The First Amendment Reconsidered: New Perspectives on the Meaning of Freedom of Speech and Press edited by Bill F. Chamberlin and Charlene J. Brown

The Skokie Legacy: Reflections On An "Easy Case" And Free Speech Theory, Lee C. Bollinger

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Defending My Enemy: American Nazis, the Skokie Case, and the Risks of Freedom by Aryeh Neier

State And Local Limitations On Ballot Measure Contributions, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note's thesis is that ballot measure limitations unconstitutionally infringe upon the rights of free speech and association. Part I analyzes Buckley and concludes that the CARC court misapplied its distinction between contributions and direct expenditures. Part II tests ballot measure limitations against Buckley's "exacting scrutiny" standard. It identifies the state interests asserted in defense of ballot measure limitations - lessening abuse by narrow interest groups, reducing apathy, and equalizing political expression - and concludes that ballot measure limitations do not permissibly further these governmental interests.

Restrictions On Electric Utility Advertising, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note reconsiders the constitutionality of New York's restriction on advertising by electric utilities. Section I explains how and why the Supreme Court's current analysis of the first amendment distinguishes commercial speech from other forms of speech. Section II looks at what protection is due commercial speech and weighs the competing interests in the specific context of utility advertising. The Note concludes that states may restrict utility advertising to encourage energy conservation.

The Nonpartisan Freedom Of Expression Of Public Employees, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Governmental activities affect each of us in a myriad of ways. The government's role as employer may pale in comparison with the more glamorous activities of the government as national defender, law enforcer, and allocator of scarce resources. Yet the legal ramifications of public employment-where the public interest in efficient governmental operation often conflicts with the public employee's freedom-have a profound influence upon American society.

In 1968, the Supreme Court in Pickering v. Board of Education formulated a test designed to balance these interests in defining the scope of a public employee's freedom of expression. In examining the nonpartisan free …

Hostile-Audience Confrontations: Police Conduct And First Amendment Rights, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note first suggests an explicit standard for police conduct in the hostile-audience situation that defines procedures the police must follow at various stages to avoid violating the first amendment. The standard reflects the fact that first amendment free speech rights are not absolute and that such rights must be weighed against both compelling state interests and the competing constitutional claims of other persons. It seeks to reconcile the interest in public order with our constitutional commitment to open discussion and robust debate. Finally, to deter police abuse of first amendment rights in the hostile-audience context, reforms of tort law …

Labor Law--Picketing--Constitutional Law--First Amendment Challenges By Federal Employees To The Broad Labor Picketing Proscription Of Executive Order 11491, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note will consider the constitutional validity of section 19(b)(4)'s broad prohibition against federal-employee labor picketing. However, before the first amendment questions are considered, two preliminary issues should be discussed.

Constitutional Law--Obscenity--The Right To An Adversary Hearing On The Issue Of Obscenity Prior To The Seizure Of Furtively Distributed Films, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note will discuss the procedural safeguards that must be provided when allegedly obscene materials are seized prior to distribution. The discussion will emphasize a consideration of the question whether the procedural requirements with respect to the seizure of printed materials are also applicable to the seizure of films, particularly those films that are being or are intended to be furtively distributed.

Prior Restraints On Demonstrations, Vince Blasi

Michigan Law Review

The starting point for the analysis that follows is the belief that new constitutional doctrine--both substantive and procedural--is urgently needed. That conclusion rests on two critical assumptions--assumptions which may not be shared by others who read history differently, or who have had different personal experiences regarding prior restraints on demonstrations, or who have different behavioral impressions based on observation and conversation, or best of all, who have quantitative data on the problem.

"Uninhibited, Robust, And Wide-Open"--A Note On Free Speech And The Warren Court, Harry Kalven Jr.

Michigan Law Review

There are several ways to give at the outset, in quick summary, an over-all impression of the Warren Court in the area of the first amendment. The quotation in the title can for many reasons be taken as its trademark. The quotation comes, of course, from a statement about public debate made in the Court's preeminent decision, New York Times v. Sullivan, and it carries echoes of Alexander Meiklejohn. We have, according to Justice Brennan, "a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open .... " What catches the eye is …

The Warren Court And The Press, John P. Mackenzie

Michigan Law Review

The conventional wisdom about the relationship between the ·warren Court and the news media runs something like this: With a few exceptions, the press corps is populated by persons with only a superficial understanding of the Court, its processes, and the values with which it deals. The Court has poured out pages of legal learning, but its reasoning has been largely ignored by a result-oriented news industry interested only in the superficial aspects of the Court's work. The Court can trace much of its "bad press," its "poor image," to the often sloppy and inaccurate work of news gatherers operating …

Constitutional Law--Freedom Of Speech--Desecration Of National Symbols As Protected Political Expression, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Protest groups have long recognized the publicity value of engaging in dramatic kinds of symbolic behavior to express their disapproval of government policy, and recently they have resorted to the desecration of traditionally "sacred" symbols to achieve this end. Recourse to conduct offensive to the patriotic and religious sensibilities of large segments of the population seems to have paralleled the advent of widespread civil disobedience as an instrument of political persuasion. Specifically, dissent over the Vietnam war has produced a number of incidents involving public disrespect for the American flag. Thus, a need has arisen to analyze the extent to …

Carmen: Movies, Censorship And The Law, Abner J. Mikva

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Movies, Censorship and the Law by Ira H. Carmen

Bedi: Freedom Of Expression And Security: A Comparative Study Of The Function Of The Supreme Courts Of The United States And India, Chester J. Antieau

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Freedom of Expression and Security: A Comparative Study of the Function of the Supreme Courts of the United States and India by A.S. Bedi

The Constitution And Contempt Of Court, Ronald Goldfarb

Michigan Law Review

Few legal devices find conflict within the lines of our Constitution with the ubiquity of the contempt power. These conflicts involve issues concerning the governmental power structure such as the separation of powers and the delicate balancing of federal-state relations. In addition, there are civil rights issues attributable to the conflict between the use of the contempt power and such vital procedural protections as the right to trial by jury, freedom from self-incrimination, double jeopardy, and indictment-to name only the most recurrent and controversial examples. Aside from these problems, there are other civil liberties issues, such as those involving freedom …

Constitutional Law - Judicial Determination Of Constitutional Questions - The Necessity Of Explicit Authorization Of Administrative Officers To Take Actions Which Limit First Amendment Freedoms, Walter R. Allan

Michigan Law Review

Appellant applied for renewal of his radio operator's license but refused to complete an FCC form relating to past and present affiliations with the Communist Party and other organizations which advocate the violent overthrow of the United States Government. At that time, and later in a hearing granted by the FCC, appellant relied upon the first amendment to justify his refusal. Subsequently the FCC denied his application. On appeal to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, held, affirmed, one judge dissenting. Pursuant to its power to grant licenses in the public interest,1 the FCC may impose …