First Amendment Commons^™

Recalibrating The Cost Of Harm Advocacy: Getting Beyond Brandenburg, S. Elizabeth Wilborn Malloy, Ronald J. Krotoszynski Jr.

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Two Degrees Of Speech Protection: Free Speech Through The Prism Of Agricultural Disparagement Laws, Harold M. Wasserman

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In the wake of a 1989 national television broadcast reporting the alleged cancer risk of a chemical applied to apples on trees, many states passed agricultural product disparagement (APD) statutes. These statutes grant civil causes of action to the growers and sellers of perishable food products, against anyone who speaks negatively or disparagingly, without basis in scientific evidence, about the product's safety. In this Article, Howard M Wasserman explores the interplay between the APD statutes and the First Amendment. First, Mr. Wasserman discusses the three categories of restrictions on the freedom of speech, focusing primarily on private civil tort actions …

Commercial Slogans: The First Amendment Should Shield Their Use In Campaign Speech, Raena L. Smith

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Commercial slogans and trademarks are increasingly finding their way into every aspect of the American vernacular, including speech by political officials and candidates. A previous published Note in the Journal of Law and Politics has argued that such speech should be restricted as it infringes upon the copyright or trademark holder's rights established both under federal and state law. This Note takes the opposing view, arguing that, even if campaign speech falls under the purview of federal or state statutes, the First Amendment prevents the application of laws to restrict campaign speech.

The Unusual Suspects: Journalists As Thieves, William E. Lee

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The publication of confidential information by the press stands in stark contrast to the press' dedication to protecting the confidentiality of sources. While the Supreme Court has taken the position that the press may publish confidential information acquired through "routine" newsgathering methods, the contours of the phrase "routine " newsgathering methods are poorly defined In this Article, Professor Lee describes the link between the manner in which information is obtained and the First Amendment's protection of the publication of the information. He concludes that the proper analysis would separate the interests affected by publication from the interests affected by illegal …

Section 1: Mitchell V. Helms, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

Section 5: First Amendment, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

The Hatefulness Of Protected Speech: A Comparison Of The American And European Approaches, Sionaidh Douglas-Scott

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In its First Amendment jurisprudence, the United States Supreme Court has construed very broadly the constitutional protection of free speech. Similarly democratic governments in Europe, however, have adopted laws restricting certain types of speech-particularly hate speech-based on the view that the human rights of oppressed groups cannot be protected fully if hate speech is permitted In this provocative Article, Professor Douglas-Scott briefly examines the American approach and contrasts it with the rationale underpinning European, especially German, law. Focusing on hate speech and the denial of the Holocaust voiced largely by neo-Nazi and other right-wing groups, she argues that such speech …

The Brandeis Gambit: The Making Of America's "First Freedom," 1909-1931, Bradley C. Bobertz

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Moral Failure Of The Clear And Present Danger Test, David R. Dow

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The clear and present danger test has been used for almost a century to determine the speech the government may restrain. This test assumes that at some point speech transforms into an act and at that moment the speech becomes punishable. Under the clear and present danger test, the First Amendment does not protect speech that is an incitement to imminent lawless action. Professor Dow suggests that the clear and present danger test protects too little speech. He posits that speech should be protected unless the following three conditions are met: (1) the speaker's specific intent in uttering the words …

Justice Or Injustice For The Poor?: A Look At The Constitutionality Of Congressional Restrictions On Legal Services, J. Dwight Yoder

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Upon enacting the Legal Services Corporation Act in 1974, Congress created the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which provides federal funding to grantees that perform legal services for low-income individuals. In recent years, Congress has enacted restrictions upon grantees' receipt of such federal funding, limiting the legal services these legal aid attorneys can provide to their clients. This move has sparked great debate. Proponents of the restrictions argue that they are needed to correct abuse and misuse of the legal services program, while opponents argue that the restrictions only harm low-income individuals.

In this Note, the author addresses this controversial issue …

Murder In The Abstract: The First Amendment And The Misappropriation Of Brandenburg, Amy K. Dilworth

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

When Paladin Enterprises published Hit Man, a manual about murder for hire, it knew and intended that the book would be used for such a purpose. When James Perry used the information contained in Hit Man to murder three innocent persons, he started a legal debate about the scope of First Amendment protections for books that instruct how to commit criminal acts. Many scholars and commentators indicated that Brandenburg v. Ohio contains the applicable constitutional standard; however, in litigation against Paladin, the survivors of the decedents challenged the conventional wisdom.

This Note examines the Brandenburg test for its applicability to …

Board Of County Commissioners V. Umbehr: The Inadequacies Of Extending Pickering Analysis To Government Contractors, Luther D. Tupponce

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

This Note challenges the restrictive First Amendment free speech protection that the Supreme Court gave to government contractors in Board of County Commissioners v. Umbehr when it applied the Pickering balancing test, developed nearly thirty years ago in Pickering v. Board of Education in the context of government employees. It does so by first questioning whether the First Amendment free speech protections given to government employees should be similar for government contractors. It then explores whether the Pickering balancing test should be applied to cases involving government contractors as it was in Umbehr.

The author concludes that the Court improperly …

Section 5: Speech And Elections, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

The Free Exercise Thereof, Stephen L. Carter

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Outtakes, Hidden Cameras, And The First Amendment: A Reporter's Privilege, Alison Lynn Tuley

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Guns, Words, And Constitutional Interpretation, L. A. Powe Jr.

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Section 3: First Amendment, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

Tainted Sources: First Amendment Rights And Journalistic Wrongs, Robert M. O'Neil

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The issue of news organizations' potential liability for their newsgathering practices has garnered significant attention in several recent cases. Robert M. O'Neil discusses several such cases which have focused on the balance between the First Amendment interests at stake and the improper or possibly illegal manner in which the media obtained its information. The author concludes by suggesting principles to guide in balancing these interests

The Constitutional Interest In Getting The News: Toward A First Amendment Protection From Tort Liability For Surreptitious Newsgathering, Paul A. Lebel

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Of "Sloppy Journalism," Corporate Tyranny," And Mea Culpas: The Curious Case Of Moldea V. New York Times, David A. Logan

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Section 6: Freedom Of Speech And Press, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

Association, Advocacy, And The First Amendment, Victor Brudney

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Censorship Of Cyberspace A Personal Choice, I. Trotter Hardy

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

The Constitutionality Of Lobby Reform: Implicating Associational Privacy And The Right To Petition The Government, Steven A. Browne

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Lobbyists currently are required to register and report to the United States Congress under the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946. Because of poor draftsmanship, the 1946 Act actually covers few lobbyists and is not enforced by the federal government. One recent federal bill attempts to reform lobbying registration by addressing the inadequacies of the current law. If enacted, this bill might be challenged as an impediment to First Amendment rights. Any attempt at lobby reform implicates the First Amendment right to petition the government and the right of associational privacy. These issues have been analyzed by state and …

Levin, Jeffries, And The Fate Of Academic Autonomy, Nathan Glazer

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Converging First Amendment Principles For Converging Communications Media, Thomas G. Krattenmaker, L. A. Powe Jr.

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Section 6: First Amendment, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

Media Violence And The Obscenity Exception To The First Amendment, Kevin W. Saunders

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Whither The Press: The Fourth Estate And The Journalism Of Blame, Gerald G. Ashdown

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Cohen V. Cowles Media And Its Significance For First Amendment Law And Journalism, Jerome A. Barron

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.