So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, host Nico Perrino is joined by his FIRE colleagues Robert Shibley, Samantha Harris, and Will Creeley to discuss: the firing of a faculty member at Babson College for a satirical Facebook post; the punishment of two students at the University of Connecticut for the use of a racial epithet; an executive order on antisemitism; and upcoming regulations on Title IX. Recorded on Jan. 15. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

“Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we explore how America’s fear of communism in the early- to mid-20th century led to firings and blacklists in Hollywood, government, and higher education — and how these actions compromised America’s treasured principles of free speech, free conscience, free association, and due process of law.We are joined by Ellen Schrecker, a former professor at Yeshiva University and the author of Many Are the Crimes: McCarthyism in America and No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism and the Universities. Click here for podcast transcript.  www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s edition of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we celebrate 100 episodes by bringing back on the show popular past guests for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of free speech in America. Joining us are: Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow, Brookings Institution Nadine Strossen, professor, New York Law School, past president of the ACLU (1991-2008) Bob Corn-Revere, partner, Davis Wright Tremaine Greg Lukianoff, president & CEO, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Show notes:  Podcast transcript Video of the conversation Remarks by mother of Heather Heyer at Open Future Festival Chicago “Offices and Gentlemen” by Jonathan Rauch

On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by professor Dale E. Miller to discuss the life and philosophy of the English philosopher John Stuart Mill, whose 1859 essay “On Liberty” is a classic text — maybe the classic text — defending the principles of free expression. Miller is a professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies at Old Dominion University. He is the author of J.S. Mill: Moral, Social, and Political Thought. Show notes:  Podcast transcript The text of John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” The Liberty Fund’s collected works of John Stuart Mill Dale E. Miller’s website: www.drdaleemiller.net www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by William & Mary Law School Professor Timothy Zick to discuss his new book, “The First Amendment in the Trump Era.” www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

Does free speech exist?  According to Cardozo Law Professor Stanley Fish, it does not. On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we dig into what the colorful professor means by this assertion and discuss his forthcoming book, “The First: How to Think About Hate Speech, Campus Speech, Religious Speech, Fake News, Post-Truth, and Donald Trump.” Show notes: Podcast transcript “There’s No Such Thing As Free Speech: And It’s a Good Thing, Too” by Stanley Fish “Areopagitica” by John Milton “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) “Absence of Malice” (1981) movie “Inherit the Wind” (1960) movie “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” by Thomas S. Kuhn “In defense of the NBA: The league has every right to come down hard on critics of China who work for it” by Stanley Fish www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

He brought 45 First Amendment cases to the United States Supreme Court between 1939 and 1955. His success rate before the court was second only to future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He handled as many as 50 major cases a year and is responsible for much of the First Amendment doctrine we take for granted today. Who was this man — and why have most free speech scholars and activists never heard of him? On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we discuss the life and legacy of Hayden C. Covington, who for many years was legal counsel for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are joined by distinguished First Amendment scholar and recurring So to Speak guest Ronald K.L. Collins. Collins is the author of the Florida International University Law Review article “Thoughts on Hayden C. Covington and the Paucity of Litigation Scholarship.”  Show notes: Podcast transcript Video of podcast interview “Thoughts on Hayden C. Covington and the Paucity of Litigation Scholarship” by Ronald K.L. Collins Cases discussed: Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940), Chaplinksy v. New Hampshire (1942), West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council (1976) Ronald K.L. Collins’ First Amendment News “First Things First: A Modern Coursebook on Free Speech Fundamentals” by Ronald K.L. Collins, Will Creeley, and David Hudson (managing editor, Jackie Farmer) “We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free: Stories of Free Expression in America” by Ronald K.L Collins & Sam Chaltain www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

In 1999, criminal defense attorney Harvey Silverglate joined with University of Pennsylvania Professor Alan Charles Kors to found the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we connect with Silverglate at his office in Cambridge, Mass. to discuss FIRE’s founding, the origins of his interest in campus civil liberties, and what he sees for his creation’s future. Join FIRE in celebrating our 20th anniversary in New York City on Oct. 24. The event will feature a keynote address from author Salman Rushdie. Show notes: Podcast transcript Short, FIRE-produced documentary about Harvey Silverglate “The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses” by Alan Charles Kors and Harvey Silverglate “Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent” by Harvey Silverglate www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, journalist Kevin Williamson joins us to discuss his new book, “The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics.” Williamson is the roving correspondent for National Review and co-host of the podcast Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Show notes: Podcast transcript “When the Twitter Mob Came for Me” by Kevin Williamson FIRE’s High School Curriculum FIRE’s Free Speech Essay Contest www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

One year ago this week, “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure” was published. On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we sit down with FIRE President & CEO Greg Lukianoff, who co-authored the book with Jonathan Haidt, to reflect on what’s changed — or hasn’t changed — in the intervening year. Show notes: TheCoddling.com “College suggests students respond to ‘offensive’ language with ‘ouch!’” Media coverage of Greg’s talk in Italy (in Italian) “Five ways university presidents can prove their commitment to free speech” by Greg Lukianoff Study: “The Hidden Tribes of America” Documentary: “Can We Take a Joke?” Greg’s book references/recommendations: “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis” by Robert Putnam “Love, Money & Parenting” by Matthias Doepke and Fabrizio Zilibotti “Achtung Baby” by Sara Zaske “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed” by Jon Ronson   www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org