So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we partner with the First Amendment Salon to present a conversation between former Solicitor General of the United States Donald B. Verrilli Jr. and University of Washington School of Law scholar Ronald Collins. Verrilli was solicitor general of the United States from June 2011 to June 2016 and during that time he argued dozens of cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, including many First Amendment cases. He is now a partner with Munger, Tolles & Olson, and the founder of its Washington, D.C. office. During this conversation, Verrilli and Collins discuss Verrilli's advocacy in front of the Supreme Court on First Amendment cases and beyond. Verrilli also provides his take on the future of the court. The First Amendment Salon is a quarterly gathering of members of the First Amendment community for a 90-minute discussion with leading thinkers concerning a timely topic related to freedom of expression.A video version of this and past First Amendment Salon conversations can be found on FIRE's YouTube page. To learn more about the First Amendment Salon, visit the Salon's archive on FIRE's First Amendment Library. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcastEmail us: sotospeak@thefire.org

There are very few exceptions to the First Amendment, and a "true threat" is one of them. But defining a true threat isn't easy. Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court first examined true threats in the 1969 case Watts v. United States, it's been a messy doctrine. The court didn't provide a definition of a true threat until many years after Watts, and even then questions still remained. On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we discuss the true threats doctrine with First Amendment scholar and FIRE Legal Fellow David L. Hudson Jr. He is the author of an ABA Journal article about true threats titled "When do rants exceed First Amendment boundaries and become true threats?" Also, don't miss Hudson tell the story of many important student free speech court cases as part of our "FIRE Starter" video series. You can watch the short videos on FIRE's YouTube channel at YouTube.com/theFIREorg. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

Tribalism and group polarization are on the rise. So too are rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide. On campuses, professors and students are afraid to speak out. And on social media, outrage mobs rule the day. How did we get here? On today's episode of So to Speak, we are joined by FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff to discuss his new co-authored book with New York University professor Jonathan Haidt, "The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure." It's a social science detective story that seeks to explain "the growing inability of Americans to live, work, and cooperate across party lines" — and in this discussion, Greg points us toward all the clues. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org

Much has been written in recent months about online campaigns to get certain journalists, movie directors, and professors fired from their jobs because of things they said or wrote. Some campaigns have been successful. Some have not. On today's episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we talk about how these outrage mobs affect the world of comedy — in particular, one comedy club in Long Island City, New York. How should free speech advocates think about outrage mobs? Do they represent more speech, or a form of private censorship? Or is it more complicated? This episode of So to Speak is presented in partnership with Comedy Cellar: Live From the Table. It features: Nico Perrino, host, So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast Noam Dworman, owner, The Comedy Cellar Rebecca Trent, owner, The Creek and the Cave Dan Naturman, comedian Monroe Martin, comedian www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.orgCall in a question: 215-315-0100

How should we think about speech rights in the age of artificial intelligence and advanced robotics? On today's episode of So to Speak, we are joined by First Amendment scholars Ronald Collins and David Skover. They are the authors of the new book, Robotica: Speech Rights & Artificial Intelligence. From the printing press to the internet, advances in communications technology often upset the established order and spawn demands for censorship. There is little reason to suspect advances in artificial intelligence will be treated differently. As free speech advocates, how should we respond to these demands? To answer that question, Collins and Skover argue that we need to take a step back and ask some more fundamental questions about the values we seek to advance in protecting speech in the first place. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.orgCall in a question: 215-315-0100

On this episode of So to Speak, we chat with lawyer and free speech activist Jacob Mchangama. He is the founder and CEO of the Danish think tank Justitia, a visiting fellow at FIRE, and host of Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech. Mchangama is also the author of the lead essay for the Cato Institute's June Cato Unbound online debate on the topic of "how censorship crosses borders." Our conversation focuses on the origins of Mchangama's interest in free speech issues, the 2005 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, the history of free speech, and the critiques of his Cato Unbound essay. Show notes: Mchangama's podcast, Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech June Cato Unbound debate, "Free speech in international perspective" Mchangama's essays for Cato So to Speak episode with Flemming Rose, who commissioned the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.orgCall in a question: 215-315-0100

Supreme Court review: Kennedy, Kavanaugh, and "weaponizing the First Amendment" On this episode of So to Speak, we discuss President Donald Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court and what it might mean for the First Amendment. We also review Anthony Kennedy's legacy, the free speech cases from this past Supreme Court term, and Justice Elena Kagan's contention that some of her colleagues are "weaponizing the First Amendment." The guests on today's show are: Paul Sherman: Senior attorney, Institute for Justice Bob Corn-Revere: Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine Walter Olson: Senior fellow, Cato Institute www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.orgCall in a question: 215-315-0100

On today's episode of So to Speak, we take a trip down memory lane. We are joined by FIRE's Greg Lukianoff, Samantha Harris, and Will Creeley to discuss memorable cases from FIRE's 19-year history. You can watch a video of this conversation on FIRE's YouTube channel (youtube.com/thefireorg). www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.orgCall in a question: 215-315-0100

Nadine Strossen, former ACLU president and New York Law Professor, discusses the importance of protecting hate speech as a form of free speech. The podcast explores Supreme Court cases, the impact of hate speech on individuals and social media, compassionate conversations with white supremacists, advocating for gay rights, constructing effective hate speech codes, incidents of hate speech on college campuses, and the suppression of free speech.

In February, Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber announced that he will distribute copies of "Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech" to all Princeton students and faculty as part of the university's annual "Pre-read" program. On this episode of So to Speak, our guest is Princeton University Professor Keith Whittington, who is the author of "Speak Freely." We discuss the latest campus free speech news at Princeton and across the county. We are also joined by FIRE Vice President of Policy Research Samantha Harris, who is a Princeton alumna and Professor Whittington's former student. www.sotospeakpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast Email us: sotospeak@thefire.orgCall in a question: 215-315-0100