The Weaponized First Amendment

The First Amendment right to free expression holds a special place in the American public mind, conjuring thoughts of reporters who keep us informed and protesters who keep us honest. But in recent years, conservative advocates have advanced First Amendment arguments that some claim enhance the interests of the already powerful at the expense of everyone else. Whether in the campaign nance context, labor law, or commercial speech, they have thus far been successfully enlisting the Supreme Court in their cause. Has something unalterable happened to the cherished First Amendment?

Speakers 

Linda Greenhouse, Senior Research Scholar in Law, Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence, and Joseph Goldstein Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School (moderator)
Tamara Piety, Phyllis Hurley Frey Professor of Law, University of Tulsa College of Law
Martin Redish, Louis and Harriet Ancel Professor of Law and Public Policy, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Paul Smith, Partner, Jenner & Block
Daniel Tokaji, Charles W. Ebersold and Florence Whitcomb Ebersold Professor of Constitutional Law, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law