On today’s episode of So to Speak, we are joined by Williams College Professor of Biology Luana Maroja. Professor Maroja’s experience growing up under a dictatorship in Brazil led her to become an outspoken advocate for free speech at Williams College and a skeptic of the idea that words are violence. Show notes: Podcast transcript Relevant writings from Professor Maroja: “Freedom of speech at Williams College: Are the walls closing in?” “Standing with the free exchange of ideas: Understanding the Faculty Petition and the Chicago Statement” “In support of free speech: What we can learn from exposure to multiple ideas” “Refuting claims of institutional violence: Analyzing evidence of racism at the College” 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 Wen Fa, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation who regularly litigates free speech cases. One of his most high-profile cases was the 2018 Supreme Court case Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, dealing with a polling-place dress code in Minnesota. Show notes: Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky Ostrewich v. Trautman Kotler v. Webb 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

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness.” So begins Allen Ginsberg’s famous poem “Howl.” You might be familiar with Allen Ginsberg. You might be familiar with the poem. But chances are you don’t know about the efforts in San Francisco in 1957 to censor the poem. On today’s episode of So to Speak, we discuss those efforts with distinguished First Amendment scholar and recurring So to Speak guest Ronald K.L. Collins. He is the co-author, with David M. Skover, of the new book, “The People v. Ferlinghetti: The Fight to Publish Allen Ginsberg’s HOWL,” which recounts the story behind the publication of “Howl” and the courageous fight against its censorship. Show notes: Video of this podcast conversation “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg Allen Ginsberg reads “Howl,” (Big Table Chicago Reading, 1959) “The People v. Ferlinghetti: The Fight to Publish Allen Ginsberg’s HOWL” Ronald K.L. Collins’ First Amendment News www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s episode of So to Speak, we sit down with Cato Institute Senior Fellow Mustafa Akyol to discuss threats to freedom of thought and expression around the world, with a particular focus on situations in Turkey and China. Akyol has been described by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria as “Turkey’s finest political analyst.” Prior to joining Cato, he was a senior fellow at The Freedom Project at Wellesley College, where he learned a thing or two about illiberalism in America. He is also a regular contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. Show notes: Podcast transcript Bios and bibliographies: http://www.mustafaakyol.org/, https://www.cato.org/people/mustafa-akyol, https://www.nytimes.com/column/mustafa-akyol FIRE Investigates: An (il)liberal arts education at Wellesley College “China’s Gulag for Muslims” “One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority” “The New Gulag Archipelago: How China “Reeducates” the Uyghurs and Why the World Should Be Alarmed” (Video of Cato Institute panel) www.sotospeakpodcast.comFollow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s episode of So to Speak, we ask the question, “can free speech be progressive?” Our guest is Louis Michael Seidman. He is the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown Law and the author of the much-discussed 2018 Columbia Law Review article “Can Free Speech Be Progressive?” Click here for a transcript of the podcast. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we speak with Techdirt.com founder and editor Mike Masnick. Since founding Techdirt in 1997, Masnick has written nearly 50,000 blog posts for the publication and covered many of tech’s hottest free speech controversies. He even coined the phrase “Streisand Effect.” In this conversation, we discuss some of the issues Masnick has recently written about for Techdirt, including defamation lawsuits and content moderation. We also ask Mike about the founding of Techdirt, the culture for free speech in Silicon Valley, the fear surrounding new technologies, and, of course, the story behind the Streisand Effect. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, FIRE staffers discuss our 2019 list of the 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech. Participants in this show are: Nico Perrino, host of So to Speak, director of communications Will Creeley, senior vice president of legal and public advocacy Adam Steinbaugh, director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program Sarah McLaughlin, senior program officer for legal and public advocacy www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

Former Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley A. Smith is perhaps best known for opposing many campaign finance regulations on First Amendment grounds. On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we talk with the former chairman about how political campaign activity is regulated in America and how this regulation implicates the First Amendment. We also explore some of today’s hot-button campaign finance controversies. Smith is a professor of law at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. From 2000 until 2005, he served as a FEC commissioner. He was FEC chairman in 2004 and vice chairman in 2003. In 2005, Smith founded the Center for Competitive Politics, now known as the Institute for Free Speech. Show notes: Podcast transcript Cases: Buckley v. Valeo (1976), Randall v. Sorrell (2006) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), Speechnow.org v. FEC (2010), McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission (2014) Timeline: The history of campaign finance regulation Faulty Assumptions and the Undemocratic Consequences of Campaign Finance Reform by Bradley A. Smith (1996) Unfree Speech: The Folly of Campaign Finance Reform by Bradley A. Smith (2009) Stormy weather for campaign-finance laws National Enquirer didn’t commit a crime by killing Trump affair stories www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we speak with Rutgers Law School Professor Carlos Ball about his book, “The First Amendment and LGBT Equality: A Contentious History.” During this conversation, we explore the history of how LGBT activists utilized the First Amendment to secure their rights, why Professor Ball considers that history “contentious,” and how debates surrounding liberty and equality have roiled America for over a century and continue to drive conversations about LGBT rights today. Show notes: Podcast transcript The First Amendment and LGBT Equality: A Contentious History Cases: Roth v. United States (1957), One, Inc. v. Olesen (1958), Manual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day, Postmaster General (1962), Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), Romer v. Evans (1996), Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000), CLS v. Martinez (2010), Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018) Relevant past podcasts: Debating Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, Jonathan Rauch’s “Kindly Inquisitors” www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://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 four members of FIRE’s staff to discuss the latest campus free speech news, including two new FIRE initiatives to tackle art censorship and restrictions on free speech and academic freedom abroad. Participants in this show are: Nico Perrino, host of So to Speak, director of communications Will Creeley, senior vice president of legal and public advocacy Adam Steinbaugh, director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program Marieke Tuthill Beck-Coon, director of litigation Sarah McLaughlin, senior program officer for legal and public advocacy Show notes: YouTube video link: https://www.youtu.be/AKkL7nICtG8 Chicago State to rewrite policies, pay $650,000 to settle professors’ First Amendment lawsuit Whistleblowers on campus: The fight for free speech and academic freedom (VIDEO) Nine years later, UCLA complains — again — about online critic Speech rights of 150,000 students to be restored as Los Angeles Community College District settles lawsuit Fencing in free speech at Los Angeles Pierce College (VIDEO) FIRE launches initiative to defend campus free expression across borders REPORT: Artists clash with campus censors Indiana University Kokomo confirms that once-removed sculptures will remain on display through end of semester The problem with porn filters Wisconsin system president reprimands UW La Crosse Chancellor for Free Speech Week talk by porn star EFF sues Texas A&M University for violating PETA's free speech rights by blocking group from its Facebook page Rutgers reverses finding against professor who posted about resigning from the white race on Facebook www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org