Posted on Aug 31, 2021
Lies, the First Amendment, and the limits of free speech
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Mr. Schenck spent 10 years in federal prison for sedition and obstruction. Holmes went on to defend free speech rights in other cases. He argued that Mr. Schenck’s actions constituted a crime in wartime only.
Ideas about what constitutes free and false speech, and "clear and present danger" changed in subsequent years. The Schenck decision was partially overturned in 1969, but we still face many of the same questions: What are the limits to free speech? Does misinformation sometimes present a clear and present danger? When is false speech punishable, and who is best qualified to make such determinations?
Legal scholar Cass Sunstein has been grappling with these questions. His new book is Liars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception. In this talk, you’ll hear how his initial inkling of how to confront lying and misinformation led to unexpected conclusions.
Cass Sunstein is a professor at Harvard University, and the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. He served as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. He serves the Biden administration as a senior counselor to the Department of Homeland Security.
Town Hall Seattle presented this event on April 1, 2021, as part of their Civics series. Town Hall’s Candace Wilkinson-Davis moderated the program."
..."Mr. Schenck spent 10 years in federal prison for sedition and obstruction. Holmes went on to defend free speech rights in other cases. He argued that Mr. Schenck’s actions constituted a crime in wartime only.
Ideas about what constitutes free and false speech, and "clear and present danger" changed in subsequent years. The Schenck decision was partially overturned in 1969, but we still face many of the same questions: What are the limits to free speech? Does misinformation sometimes present a clear and present danger? When is false speech punishable, and who is best qualified to make such determinations?
Legal scholar Cass Sunstein has been grappling with these questions. His new book is Liars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception. In this talk, you’ll hear how his initial inkling of how to confront lying and misinformation led to unexpected conclusions.
Cass Sunstein is a professor at Harvard University, and the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. He served as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. He serves the Biden administration as a senior counselor to the Department of Homeland Security.
Town Hall Seattle presented this event on April 1, 2021, as part of their Civics series. Town Hall’s Candace Wilkinson-Davis moderated the program."
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