We're joined today by Elizabeth Nolan Brown, Robert Corn-Revere, and Ronnie London to discuss the history and verdict of the Backpage trial. Backpage.com was an online classified advertising service founded in 2004. As a chief competitor to Craigslist, Backpage allowed users to post ads to categories such as personals, automotive, rentals, jobs and — most notably — adult services. In 2018, the website domain was seized by the FBI and its executives were prosecuted under federal prostitution and ...
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Nico and FIRE President & CEO Greg Lukianoff appeared on an X Space to discuss the fallout from the recent congressional hearing on anti-Semitism involving Harvard President Claudine Gay, MIT President Sally Kornbluth, and former Penn President Liz Magill, who resigned last week following backlash over her testimony. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 1:53 - History of FIRE 5:40 - MIT/Harvard/Penn presidents' testimony 11:35 - How speech codes are abused and conflict over the definition of genoci...
Dec 12, 2023•58 min•Ep. 201
We're joined by First Amendment attorney Marc Randazza and British journalist Brendan O'Neill to discuss the state of free speech in the United States and Europe. Randazza is a First Amendment attorney and the managing partner at Randazza Legal Group. He has represented controversial figures throughout his career, including Alex Jones, Mike Cernovich, Chuck Johnson, and founder of the neo-nazi website the Daily Stormer, Andrew Anglin. O'Neill is a British author and journalist who served as edit...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 200
The FIRE team gets together to discuss the October 7 attacks in Israel and the resulting censorship on college campuses in the United States. FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff, Director of Campus Rights Advocacy Alex Morey, and General Counsel Ronnie London join host Nico Perrino for the conversation. ** We will conduct a listener survey starting Monday, Nov. 13. "So to Speak" listeners who subscribe to the show's email list will receive an email with a link to the survey. If you are not an ...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 5 min
The Supreme Court handed down some big First Amendment victories last term. What lies ahead for the Court in the upcoming term? FIRE Chief Counsel Robert Corn-Revere and FIRE General Counsel Ronnie London join the show to discuss important First Amendment cases that will be heard during the Court's 2023-24 session. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:47 - Murthy v. Missouri (government jawboning) 14:40 - NRA v. Vullo (government jawboning) 25:49 - NetChoice cases (social media regulation) 46:39 - ...
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr 17 min
President, CEO, and general counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom, Kristen Waggoner, joins us for a discussion on freedom of speech and religious liberty. ADF has played various roles in 74 U.S. Supreme Court victories and since 2011, has won cases before the Court 15 times. According to its website, "ADF is the world's largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, marriage and family, parental rights, and the sanctity of life." ADF has litigated many hig...
Oct 12, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Writer and academic Yascha Mounk argues that a new set of ideas about race, gender, and sexual orientation have overtaken society, giving rise to a rigid focus on identity in our national debate. In his new book, " The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time ," Yascha seeks to take these ideas seriously, understand their origin, dissect their merits and failings, and offer a path forward to avoid what he calls "the identity trap." On today's show, Mounk previews his book and explai...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr
FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff and FIRE General Counsel Ronnie London join the show to preview Greg's new co-authored book on cancel culture and to discuss recent free speech cases and headlines: Transcript: https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/so-speak-podcast-transcript-dont-tread-me-misgendering-cancel-culture-and-three " The Canceling of the American Mind ," by Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott (out Oct. 17) Colorado public school to allow student to display Gadsden flag patch — as l...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Harvey Silverglate is a criminal defense and civil liberties attorney. He is also the co-founder of FIRE. On today's show, Harvey defends the work of criminal defense attorneys, explaining why even guilty people must have the right to a robust legal defense. He also shares stories from his life, from growing up in Brooklyn to defending Vietnam War protesters to co-founding FIRE. Transcript www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freespeechtalk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/...
Aug 24, 2023•53 min
High school debate is considered an ideal extracurricular activity for aspiring lawyers, politicians, or anyone seeking to learn the tools of effective communication and persuasion. But a slew of recent reports argue that high school debate is being captured by political ideology, rendering certain arguments off-limits, some debate topics undebatable, and ad hominem attacks fair game. Debate judges disclose their judging paradigms by saying things like, "I will listen to conservative-leaning arg...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 3 min
We review the Supreme Court's free speech cases during the 2022-23 term and speculate on what's in store for the next term. FIRE Vice President of Litigation Darpana Sheth guest hosts and is joined by FIRE Chief Counsel Robert Corn-Revere and FIRE General Counsel Ronnie London. This episode was recorded before a virtual live audience on July 20. Watch a video of the conversation . Transcript Cases discussed: 303 Creative v Elenis Counterman v. Colorado United States v. Hansen Twitter v. Taamneh ...
Jul 27, 2023•59 min
In the last episode of the "So to Speak" podcast, we traced the dramatic story of free speech in the United States from colonial America to the abolitionists' campaign to abolish slavery. In this week's episode, we pick up where we left off and explore the complicated history and legacy of civil liberties during the American Civil War. Professor and author Joseph R. Fornieri and FIRE Chief Counsel Robert Corn-Revere join the show this week to unpack Abraham Lincoln's justifications for suspendin...
Jul 13, 2023•31 min
Last Constitution Day, we traced the origins of free speech in the United States from colonial America to the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791. In this episode, we jump forward to the antebellum period, where abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, John Quincy Adams, William Lloyd Garrison, and Angelina Grimké clashed with pro-slavery advocates over the monumental issue of slavery. Journalist and author Damon Root, FIRE Senior Fellow Jacob Mchangama, and Washington and Lee University...
Jun 28, 2023•33 min
Nico knows very little about punk rock. On today's show, Reason magazine's Nick Gillespie and FIRE Vice President of Communications Matt Harwood do their best to explain to Nico why he and other free speech advocates should care about punk rock. Transcript: https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/so-speak-podcast-transcript-why-should-we-care-about-punk-rock www.sotospeakpodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freespeechtalk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freespeechtalk Facebook: https://...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Winning in the court of public opinion is hard. On today's show, Ewing School founder Bob Ewing shares communications strategies that anyone — including free speech advocates — can use to win in the marketplace of ideas. Prior to founding the Ewing School, Bob was director of communications for the Institute for Justice and pioneered a communications training program for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Bob is also the author of the Talking Big Ideas Substack, which Nico highly re...
Jun 01, 2023•1 hr 21 min
On April 18, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit stemming from allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The historic settlement came just before the trial was set to begin in a case many saw as having significant First Amendment implications. In this exclusive conversation, attorneys for Fox and Dominion join First Amendment attorney Lee Levine to reflect on what led to the case, its outcome, and the arguments they wou...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 35 min
Rocking their tuxedos in preparation for the 2023 FIRE gala in New York City, Host Nico Perrino speaks with rapper and free speech advocate Killer Mike about his journey toward learning the value of free expression. They also discuss the importance of free speech in American history, the value of engaging and arguing with those who disagree with us, why free speech was critical to gaining racial equality, defending rappers and artists being prosecuted for their lyrics, and why polarization is mo...
Apr 27, 2023•45 min
Does music censorship still happen in America? Is "sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll" dead? Is transgression in art and culture celebrated anymore (or was it ever)? From Beyonce and Taylor Swift to Ozzy Osbourne and Robin Thicke, SPIN magazine founder Bob Guccione Jr. and Reason magazine Editor at Large Nick Gillespie join a lively discussion of our current moment in pop culture. Bob also shares some war stories from his fight against the Parents Music Resource Center in the 1980s. Transcript: https...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 20 min
What's going on in Florida? Host Nico Perrino and his FIRE colleagues break down the latest efforts to censor speech in the Sunshine State. Show notes: Transcript " VICTORY: After FIRE lawsuit, court halts enforcement of key provisions of the Stop WOKE Act limiting how Florida professors can teach about race, sex " " Thought the 'Stop WOKE Act' was bad? A new Florida bill is worse " " Unconstitutional and un-American, Senate Bill 1316 would force bloggers who criticize the government to register...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 4 min
UPDATE: Just as this podcast was to be published, Stanford Law School Dean Jenny Martinez sent a 10-page memorandum to the law school community outlining a path forward for the school, including updating school policies to prevent future speaker disruptions and mandatory student free speech training. She also announced that Associate Dean Tirien Steinbach is on leave. – The heckling began almost as soon as Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kyle Duncan started his invited lecture at Stanford L...
Mar 22, 2023•58 min
Ilya Shapiro joins the show to discuss the fireworks in the Fox/Dominion defamation lawsuit, his recent speaking appearance at the University of Denver, and his "cancel culture nightmare" at Georgetown University. Shapiro is a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute. He previously (and briefly) served as executive director and senior lecturer at the Georgetown Center for the Constitution and as a vice president at the Cato Institute. Shapiro will speak at ...
Mar 10, 2023•59 min
The seminal 1964 Supreme Court decision in New York Times v. Sullivan limited the ability of public officials to silence their critics by successfully suing them for defamation. Sullivan made "American public officials more accountable, the American media more watchful, and the American people better informed," said William Rehnquist , the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But Sullivan is increasingly under attack from politicians, activists, and even sitting Justices of the Supreme Court...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 3 min
FIRE's Will Creeley and Aaron Terr join the show to discuss Phoenix, Arizona's unconstitutional "clean zone" for Super Bowl LVII, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's effort to get public school students to volunteer for her re-election campaign, recent polling on how much people really know about the First Amendment (sadly, not much), and Indiegogo, Kickstarter, and Crowdfundr canceling fundraisers for comic books they deemed politically unacceptable. We also provide an update on the Hamline Universi...
Feb 09, 2023•57 min
What does the rise of artificial intelligence mean for the future of free speech and the First Amendment? Who is liable for what AI produces? Can you own a copyright for works produced by AI? Does AI itself violate intellectual property rights when it uses others' information to generate content? What about that Morgan Freeman "deep fake" ? And is ChatGPT going to make all of our jobs irrelevant? Show notes: Transcript Guests: Eugene Volokh , professor at UCLA School of Law David Greene , senior...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 4 min
A faculty member at Hamline University lost her job. Twelve staffers at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were murdered. And Salman Rushdie was repeatedly stabbed. All of them offended certain people's religious sensitivities. On today's show, we are joined by Amna Khalid and Michael Moynihan to discuss the risks and costs of teaching, talking, writing, and creating art about religion, particularly Islam. We also discuss the recent #TwitterFiles reporting. Amna Khalid is an associate p...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 23 min
Do Ann Coulter's words equal "violence"? Does Emerson College care more about not offending the Chinese Communist Party than protecting student free speech rights? And are faculty political litmus tests back in vogue? FIRE's Alex Morey and Zach Greenberg join the show to discuss the latest in campus censorship. Please support this show by donating to FIRE before the end of the year: thefire.org/support Show notes: Transcript " San Diego State University: University senate adopts policy imposing ...
Dec 21, 2022•52 min
Hot on the heels of oral argument in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis , FIRE's Ronnie London and David Hudson join the show to discuss the case, as well as other high profile free speech cases at the Supreme Court this year. Show notes: Transcript Watch the video of the podcast conversation 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis Shurtleff v. City of Boston Kennedy v. Bremerton School District Gonzalez v. Google LLC Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. v. VIP...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 7 min
FIRE's new Director of Public Advocacy Aaron Terr and the Cato Institute's Will Duffield join the show to discuss a slew of recent free speech news. California gets it right on rap lyrics but wrong on coronavirus misinformation. One Texas school district repeatedly ventures into book banning. LeBron James spreads "hate speech" misinformation. Is government "jawboning" censorship? And, yes, Elon Musk . . . again. Show notes: Transcript Watch the video of the podcast conversation " VICTORY: After ...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 12 min
FIRE's Will Creeley and Aaron Terr join the show to discuss a slew of recent free speech news: What do we make of Elon Musk buying Twitter? Is PayPal fining its users $2,500 for promoting "misinformation"? Is New York trying to destroy Twitch? And do public employees in Charlottesville, Va., need to shut their mouths to keep their jobs? Also, how's FIRE's off-campus expansion going? Show notes: Transcript Open letter to Elon Musk from Greg Lukianoff on preserving free expression on social media ...
Nov 03, 2022•58 min
Do books need a special editor who reads for offensive content? And who gets to decide what's offensive anyway? This week we are joined by authors Kat Rosenfield and Vesper Stamper to discuss censorial trends in book publishing, including the rise of so-called "sensitivity readers" and the sometimes successful campaigns to get books canceled before they are even published. We also explore adjacent debates: Is it appropriate to write outside of one's identity or lived experience? And can authors ...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 18 min
