Monday, July 31, 2017
#FreeSpeech in the News: July 31, 2017
As the Citadel of Free Speech here in Cleveland, we work to protect and promote the basis of our democracy by sharing related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century. Here's what's making the news – and what you should know about – in the past week.
“But according to the ACLU, the law ‘would punish individuals for no reason other than their political beliefs’ by expanding the Export Administration Act of 1979 and the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, which ‘prohibit U.S. persons from complying with a foreign government’s request to boycott a country friendly to the U.S.’”
Why an Effort to Thwart Some Boycotts of Israel Fails the Free-Speech Test, The Atlantic
“Liberals and others will often find fault with the court, as well as Trump. But thanks to the justices, they will have a wide berth to complain.”
The John Roberts court: Champion of free speech, Chicago Tribune
“We can do better than this. Protecting free speech and academic freedom is not a liberal or conservative issue. It’s an American issue.”
The wrong way to preserve free speech on campus, The Hill
“It also makes no difference whether the crowd reacted with unlawful violence beyond what Mr. Trump advocated, because the hostile reaction of the crowd does not not transform protected speech into incitement.”
Trump’s lawyers claim a free-speech right to urge supporters to use ‘reasonable force’ to kick out protesters, Los Angeles Times
“It is, quite simply, about repelling a growing assault on the idea of the university.”
A University Stands Up for Free Speech – and Itself, National Review
“At its core, these cases boil down to the issue of free speech, and whether a beverage made by a commercial enterprise—such as a soy milk company—can legally describe itself as ‘milk.’”
Soy milk is at the epicenter of a global free-speech debate, Quartz
“Refusing to do business is not an inherently expressive activity, as the Supreme Court held in Rumsfeld v. FAIR.”
Israel anti-boycott bill does not violate free speech, The Washington Post
“The bill’s chilling effect would be dramatic — and that is no doubt its very purpose. But individuals, not the government, should have the right to decide whether to support boycotts against practices they oppose.”
This piece of pro-Israel legislation is a serious threat to free speech, The Washington Post