LAW-6129 FIRST AMENDMENT SEMINAR -- FREE SPEECH
This course will cover constitutional law and policy issues relating to the Freedom of Expression and the Religion clauses of the First Amendment. Part I will cover Freedom of Expression topics, including Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Association, and Freedom of the Press. Part II will cover the Religion clauses, including the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause. The First Amendment touches people's lives in a real and fundamental way. In current times, free speech and freedom of religion are tolerated or not tolerated within the framework of the competing desire to be both politically correct and to uphold the important value of engaging in a robust discourse about real issues faced by Americans. We will consider this tension between competing values. The course will look at selected topics. It is simply not possible to cover all issues that arise under the First Amendment.