First Amendment Commons^™

An Estate Plan For Kanye West, Thomas E. Simmons

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

One inventory item in megastar Kanye West's vast portfolio of assets merits a unique sort of care and safeguarding his right ofpublicity. The right ofpublicity is a property interest which represents the commercial value of a celebrity's name, image, and likeness. In some states, including California, the right survives the celebrity's death and is freely alienable and devisable. A protective arrangement, such as a trust, is often pursued to impose postmortem use and transferability restrictions on property that has particular importance to the testator. This Article proposes a noncharitable purpose trust as a means by which Kanye West's right of …

Accommodating Legal Ignorance, Stewart E. Sterk

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Title Ix And The Failure Of Due Process, Kenneth Lasson

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the challenges in implementing Title IX, focusing on its failure to ensure due process, particularly in cases involving sexual misconduct allegations. It highlights how the Trump administration's policy changes have attempted to address these issues but have also faced criticism for potentially undermining protections against discrimination.

Competing Free Speech Rights: Evaluating Compelled Disclosures On Food Packaging In A Way That Reflects Scientific Realities - Or A Lack Thereof, Rakelle Shapiro

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Past, Present, And Future Of Christian Adr, Ronald J. Colombo

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Many religious traditions recommend (if not require) that their adherents bring some if not all of their disputes with co-adherents before a religious tribunal for resolution. The Christian religious tradition is no exception. That said, the dramatic history of the Church in the West, from that of a persecuted Jewish sect, to the official state religion of Imperial Rome, to an international authority competing with that of local monarchs, to its modern status of merely tolerated, has yielded a variety of evolving perspectives on the question of intra-faith dispute resolution within Christianity. This article examines that question and the historical …

Media In Flux: Does Consolidation Promote The Public Interest?, Simone A. Dvoskin

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The note examines the transformative impact of digital platforms on traditional media and the legal challenges arising from this shift, advocating for updated regulations to ensure accessibility, fairness, and public interest. It argues that the rapid evolution of technology has outpaced regulatory frameworks, necessitating reforms to address media consolidation, accessibility for individuals with disabilities, and the role of the FCC in overseeing new media platforms.

Scrolling, Trolling, And Uploading: Youtube's Impact On Modern Public Discourse, Internet Regulation, And Free Speech, Brett Gossett

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Copyright Infringement Standards As They Relate To Appropriation Artists, Kimberly Pallen

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The article examines the application of the "total concept and feel" test established in Roth Greeting Cards v. United Card Co. to determine copyright infringement, particularly in cases involving appropriation artists like Jeff Koons and Richard Prince. It argues that while this test is effective for analyzing substantial similarity in visual arts, it faces limitations when applied to appropriation art, where the original work's mood or feel is not significantly altered. The article highlights the subjective nature of the test and its reliance on visual comparison, which may not adequately address the transformative aspects of appropriation art.

Robo-Bureaucrat And The Administrative Separation Of Powers, Matthew Seipel

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

This Essay argues that the administrative state's use of artificial intelligence (AI) creates concentrated, unchecked power at the agency leadership level. The Essay draws from Professor Jon Michaels' theory of the administrative separation of powers, and it describes how AI in government disrupts this separation. To alleviate this concern, the Essay puts forward one modest proposal: Congress should amend federal public sector labor law to require collective bargaining over an agency’s decision to use AI.

Lights, Camera, State Action: Manhattan Community Access Corp. V. Halleck, Graham L. Fisher

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

It is a well-established rule that constitutional constraints governing public entities do not extend to private actors—until they do. If this principle seems unclear, it is largely due to the piecemeal jurisprudence that defines the “state action” doctrine. This doctrine applies when courts hold that a private actor is subject to constitutional constraints by virtue of the quasi-public role they have willingly accepted. In these situations, constitutional protections—and the resulting 42 U.S.C. § 1983 actions—may be available to those who demand relief. While questions of what entails a “state action” loom in the face of closely intertwined private and public …

Balancing Burdens In Religious Freedom Claims, T. J. Denley

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the expansion of religious freedom claims under the First Amendment and related laws, arguing that recent developments risk creating unequal treatment and burdening marginalized groups. It critiques the shift in doctrine that favors conservative Judeo-Christian morality, potentially undermining antidiscrimination protections and creating "theocratic zones of control." The analysis emphasizes the need to balance religious freedom with the rights of third parties and equality-implicating rights.

Straight Actors In Lgbt Roles: Creative Casting Or Employment Discrimination?, Erica Ruff

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note examines the trend of casting straight actors in LGBT roles, termed "gay face," and explores its implications as a form of employment discrimination. It argues that this practice limits opportunities for LGBT actors and discusses the legal challenges in addressing this issue under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which does not explicitly cover sexual orientation. The note highlights the tension between anti-discrimination laws and First Amendment protections for artistic expression, noting that courts often favor the latter.

Sexual Ageplay In Virtual Reality: Practicing Free Speech Or Producing Child Pornography?, Lillian Esposito

Cardozo Law Review

A man's thoughts are his own; he may sit in his armchair and think salacious thoughts, murderous thoughts, discriminatory thoughts, whatever thoughts he chooses, free from the "thought police." It is only when the man gets out of his armchair and acts upon his thoughts that the law may intervene

In my ignorance, I have to accept the possibility that if we had to decide today just what the First Amendment should mean in cyberspace, we would get it fundamentally wrong.

Rethinking Social Media: An Expert Panel Discussion, Howard M. Squadron Program In Law, Media And Society, Bonavero Institute Of Human Rights, Cardozo Law Moot Court Honor Society

2018–2019 Flyers

This expert panel discussion, moderated by Professor Monroe Price, explored the evolving challenges and regulatory efforts related to social media. Held on Thursday, January 31st, from 6–8pm in the Moot Court Room at Cardozo School of Law, the event addressed pressing issues such as child pornography, cyberstalking, hate speech, terrorist content, and the impact of social media on U.S. elections. Panelists included Robyn Caplan (Data and Society), Jessa Lingel (University of Pennsylvania), and Cardozo Professor Felix Wu, whose work focuses on freedom of expression and cybersecurity. Presented by the Howard M. Squadron Program in Law, Media and Society in partnership …

Is President Trump Violating The First Amendment When Blocking Citizens On Twitter?: Exploring Multi-Party Negotiation As A Way To Protect Citizens' Rights In The Wake Of The New Digital Age, Ashley B. Mongiello

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note seeks to answer the following question: How Twitter, its users, and the President can participate in a multi-party negotiation to decide on terms to enact into a user agreement for Twitter for the purposes of ensuring citizens' First Amendment rights are not violated if the President blocks them on Twitter. Part II of this Note discusses the role of the government when they suppress speech on public forums. It additionally addresses how Trump's actions of blocking citizens were declared a violation of their First Amendment rights. Part III raises the issues citizens face when naming the President as …

Did Five Supreme Court Justices Go "Completely Bonkers"?: Saul Goodman, Legal Advertising, And The First Amendment Since Bates V. State Bar Of Arizona, Eric T. Kasper, Troy A. Kozma

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

In Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977), the U.S. Supreme Court held for the first time that the First and Fourteenth Amendments' protection of the freedom of speech extends to truthful advertising of attorneys' services. The ruling set aside decades of ethics rules that had prohibited lawyers from engaging in this type of marketing that bar associations had deemed predatory and beneath the stature of the profession. Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is a pop culture representation of what legal advertising has become, both reflecting and shaping public perception of legal commercial publicity. But are …

Bad Actors And The Communications Decency Act Of 1996: Lessons Learned From Our Nation's Battle With Online Human Trafficking, Peter Polack

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Cyberbullying: Are You Protected? An Analysis And Guide To Effective And Constitutional Cyberbullying Protections, Mendel Forta

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Shared Value Over Fair Use: Technology, Added Value, And The Reinvention Of Copyright, Amy Whitaker

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The protection of fair use in the arts has become an inflexible binary. Either artist Shepard Fairey has permission to use the Associated Press photograph of Barack Obama to create the Hope Poster, or he has stolen the image in violation of copyright. This legal framework is rigid, inaccurate, and creatively unsafe. Yet it is the interpretation, not the doctrine itself, that needs shifting. The copyright statute already includes an overlooked "value" test that can more accurately reflect collaboration and sampling in the digital age. And yet instead, some scholars have responded to digital copying by suggesting we throw out …

Changes In The Children's Television Marketplace, The Children's Television Act, And The First Amendment, Joel Timmer

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

Since the passage of the Children's Television Act of 1990, broadcast television stations have been required to provide educational programming for children as a condition for license renewal. Since 1996, broadcasters can fulfill this obligation by providing three hours of such programming according to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) guidelines. These requirements were later extended to broadcasters' multicast channels. With more children's programming available today than ever before from a wide variety of sources, and with changes in the ways children consume programming, the FCC has proposed to revise its rules to reflect these changes. This Article considers the constitutionality …

Commercial Speech Protection As Consumer Protection, Felix T. Wu

Articles

The Supreme Court has long said that “the extension of First Amendment protection to commercial speech is justified principally by the value to consumers of the information such speech provides.” In other words, consumers—the recipients or listeners of commercial speech—are the ones the doctrine is meant to protect. In previous work, I explored the implications of taking this view seriously in three contexts: compelled speech, speech among commercial entities, and unwanted marketing. In each of those contexts, adopting a listener-oriented approach leads to the conclusion that many forms of commercial speech regulation should receive far less First Amendment scrutiny than …

Applying The First Amendment To The Internal Revenue Code: Minnesota Voters Alliance And The Tax Law’S Regulation Of Nonprofit Organizations’ Political Speech, Edward A. Zelinsky

Articles

On its face, Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky is about which T-shirts, hats and buttons voters can wear at the polls. However, the U.S. Supreme Court’s First Amendment analysis in Minnesota Voters Alliance extends beyond apparel at polling places. That decision impacts the ongoing debate about the Johnson Amendment, the now controversial provision of the Internal Revenue Code which forbids Section 501(c)(3) organizations from intervening in political campaigns. Minnesota Voters Alliance also affects the proper construction of Section 501(c)(3)’s ban on lobbying by tax-exempt entities as well as other provisions of the tax law taxing and precluding campaign intervention by …

Taking Data, Michael C. Pollack

Articles

Technological development has created new forms of information, altered expectations of privacy, and given law enforcement more tools to examine that information and intrude on that privacy. One crucial facet of these changes involves internet service providers (ISPs): as people expose more of their lives to their ISPs—all the websites they visit, people they communicate with, emails they send, files they store, and more—law enforcement efforts to access that data become more and more common. But scholars and policymakers alike recognize that the existing statutory frameworks governing those efforts are based on obsolete technology and strike balances that are difficult …

Freedom Of Expression Or Freedom From Hate: A Canadian Perspective, Rosalie Silberman Abella

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Modern Public Square: Digital Viewpoint Discrimination In The Age Of @Realdonaldtrump, Jonathan Groffinan

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that official social media accounts used by political figures for public engagement should be classified as designated public forums, ensuring First Amendment protections against viewpoint discrimination. It contends that blocking users based on their viewpoints violates constitutional rights, as such accounts serve as modern public squares essential for free speech and open discourse.

A Clear And Present Danger: The Need For Regulated Accountability For Online Service Providers To Preserve And Promote Free Speech, Notice, And Due Process, Benjamin H. Winters

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

A Fish Out Of Water: Why The Gao's Approach To Finding Agency Propaganda Is Inadequate In The Social Media Age, Jennifer Pierce

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Competing Free Speech Values In An Age Of Protest, Erica Goldberg

Cardozo Law Review

This Article endeavors to catalog and resolve cases involving competing free speech values, and then applies its solutions to violent and disruptive protests. Almost every First Amendment case can be framed as implicating free speech values on both sides of the First Amendment equation. Government action directly abridges speech, but government inaction may allow private parties too much control over others' speech. First Amendment doctrine, which generally protects speech only from suppression by state actors, can thus compromise the very free speech values that form the rationales for the First Amendment. Scholars and litigants have argued that government regulation of …

Why Did Liberals Join The Majority In The Masterpiece Case?, Katherine A. Shaw

Online Publications

It was no surprise that Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has cast the decisive vote in so many important Supreme Court cases, wrote Monday’s majority opinion in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker named Jack Phillips who, on religious grounds, had refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.

Chasing Shadows: The Economic And Noneconomic Thrust Of Bds, Harry G. Hutchison

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

Proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, in combination with left-wing activists and progressive theorists, sustain themselves through perceived adversity with the mantra that the universe evolves toward justice, which, in turn, allows for a focused indignation on Israel for alleged abuses of the Palestinian people. In this account, Israel's conduct thwarts desirable human progress and deserves reproof Alternatively, ire erupts because Israeli Jews are being, well, Jews. Despite persuasive evidence showing the contention that the Arabs of Palestine and the Land of Israel possess the same legal rights as the Jewish people contradicts principles of international law, …