First Amendment Free Speech Protections

The First Amendment requires that "Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech." Learn how the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted this constitutional command during National Free Speech Week. The presentation will discuss categories of unprotected expression, regulations of speech in public forums, and special considerations for public educational institutions. Dr. Eric T. Kasper is Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he also serves as Director of the Menard Center for Constitutional Studies. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He teaches classes on the Supreme Court and constitutional law, with an emphasis on the freedom of expression. He has authored or edited nine books, and he has authored 25 journal articles and book chapters." The Thursdays at the U weekly series is free and open to the public thanks to support from the UW-Eau Claire – Barron County Foundation. Neither seating reservations nor parking permits are needed for in-person attendees. Although in-person attendance is encouraged, most talks in the series are livestreamed (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvideoplayer.telvue.com%2Fplayer%2FHDwuV3is8s5nNzWpdoDe7ey1dmO7F3CA%2Fplaylists%2F8694%2Fstream%2F865%3Fautostart%3Dtrue%26sequenceNumber%3D1%26showtabssearch%3Dtrue&data=05%7C02%7CWALKOFDS%40uwec.edu%7Cf13a5e6bbf2c4308312f08dd03880331%7Cdd068b97759349388b3214faef2af1d8%7C0%7C0%7C638670604907012062%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=UuQsjo7nHe3gTwTkZAnb6hSKH6wAboo%2FQ3v8oFpyokY%3D&reserved=0). They also are archived and can be watched later on the Thursdays at the U (https://barron.uwec.edu/business-community/free-viewing-lecture-series/?_ga=2.171377317.402834410.1672450604-1799238988.1655731488) webpage.