Read more
This rediscovery of First Amendment rights offers both an engaging constitutional history and insight into contemporary political dialogue and society.
List of contents
Introduction; Part I. The Framers' Democrocratic First Amendment: 1. Freedom of speech and of the press; 2. Assembly and association; 3. The petition clause; 4. Cognate rights and democratic citizenship; Part II. The Democratic First Amendment in the Age of Twitter: 5. Cacophony: speech and press in the Internet era; 6. DeSiloing: of civic associations, book clubs, and taverns; 7. Why assembly and petition still matter; Conclusion.
About the author
Ashutosh Bhagwat is Martin Luther King, Jr Professor of Law and the Boochever and Bird Endowed Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality at the University of California, Davis School of Law. He has clerked for Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit and Judge Anthony Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court. He is the author of The Myth of Rights (2010), as well as numerous articles on a variety of legal subjects. Professor Bhagwat is a member of the American Law Institute.
Summary
Readers interested in constitutional history, law, and politics will enjoy this engaging examination of the origins of the First Amendment and its relationship to democracy. Illuminating lessons from the conflicts of the Framing era, Bhagwat provides a deeper context for understanding contemporary politics in the age of social media.
Additional text
'The First Amendment lists four specific freedoms of expression: speech, press, assembly (association), and petition, but the courts have tended to merge them all into one. This engaging book discusses each of these freedoms on its own terms, and explains for a general audience why they all matter now, more than ever. Whether you are liberal or conservative, this book will help you understand your rights as an American.' Michael W. McConnell, Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center, Stanford University
