Free speech is at the heart of a healthy democracy, but in recent years it has come under attack. Controversial views are being silenced to protect vulnerable people from harm. The Economist's Jon Fasman offers his take on how societies...

Mary Anne Franks, professor of law at George Washington Law School, recently published Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First Amendment. In the book, she explores the concept of "fearless speech," drawn from the ancient Greek idea...

Students protested the Vietnam War by wearing armbands to school. After some of them get suspended for doing so, the families sue the school district, arguing the students' First Amendment rights were violated.

In episode 29 of Supreme Court Briefs, students protest the Vietnam War by wearing armbands to school. After some of them get suspended for doing so, the families sue the school district, arguing the students' First Amendment rights were...

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right to free speech. But when student journalists in Missouri wrote a series of articles on teen sex and divorce in 1983, their school appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for the...

Today, FINALLY, Craig is going to talk about Free Speech! Now, free speech is so important because it not only allows you to critique the government, but it also protects you from the government. But it's essential to remember that not...

Continuing the Constitution for Dummies Series with the Bill of Rights and Amendment One. Explained simply so you can understand the Constitution of the United States.

The ability to say whatever we want about whomever we want is a big deal, which is why free speech is the cornerstone of American democracy. But what if that free speech incites hate or violence? Bring it on, says Monica Duffy Toft,...

In theory, individuals should have the same rights online as they do in the physical world. But in practice, this is uncharted legal territory. Perhaps the most contentious area is free speech law. “Your First Amendment rights exist in a...

In episode 17 of Supreme Court Briefs, a KKK leader gets his hate rally on TV, and then promptly gets arrested. Wait a second, what about freedom of speech?

Nadine Strossen, senior fellow with FIRE and emerita professor of constitutional law at New York Law School, as well as former president of the ACLU, has dedicated her life to defending civil liberties and human rights. In recent years,...

Understanding the U.S. Constitution: 7. This clip examines the guarantee of Freedom of Speech in the Bill of Rights. It also looks at the legal limitations imposed on this right.

In episode 13 of Supreme Court Briefs, Eugene Debs gives a speech criticizing war and praising socialism. He promptly gets arrested for breaking the Sedition Act, and spends the next several years fighting for his freedom.

In the fourth episode of Supreme Court Briefs, Mr. Beat goes back to 2002 to look at darn high schoolers causing mischief with a banner about marijuana. Is it their First Amendment right or are they disrupting...

In the fourth episode of Supreme Court Briefs, Mr. Beat goes back to 2002 to look at darn high schoolers causing mischief with a banner about marijuana. Is it their First Amendment right or are they disrupting school? Joseph Frederick, a...

Canton, Ohio June 16, 1918 Eugene Debs, the famous labor activist and five-time Socialist Party of America presidential candidate, gives a speech, opposing World War One. He is careful with his words, for he knows that, under the...

American democracy has a lineage of written records that we can trace to show the development of our nation, and how each document builds on those before it to make our foundation of freedom stronger. In this video, the documents...

Today, Craig is going to finish up our discussion of the First Amendment with freedom of the press. Like an individual's right to free speech, the press has a right, and arguably responsibility, to tell the public what the government is...

When you think of the US Constitution, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Free speech? The right to bear arms? These passages are cited so often that it's hard to imagine the document without them. But the list of freedoms known...

Louis Brandeis was the first Jewish associate justice to serve on the US Supreme Court. His appointment changed the legal landscape forever.

Clarence Brandenburg leads a Ku Klux Klan rally. He invites a Cincinnati TV station out to cover the event. They agree, and film portions of the rally, showing men in robes and hoods, some carrying guns, and others shouting horrible...

Washington, D.C. 2007 A self-described conservative non-profit corporation called Citizens United wants to release a documentary. The film, called Hillary: The Movie, (hey that's a pretty catchy title) talks a bunch of trash about...

Samantha Barbas, a professor of law at the University of Iowa, discusses her book Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom of the Press in New York Times v. Sullivan. The book explores the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case, which arose...

Greg Lukianoff is an attorney, New York Times best-selling author, and the President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). He is the author of Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American...