Nahmod Law

I spoke on December 16, 2021, to the Chicago Decalogue Society about freedom of speech. Specifically, I provided an overview of the free speech rights of adults and public school students, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mahanoy Area School Dist. v. B.L., 141 S. Ct. 2038 (2021), the student social media/vulgarity case.

I covered the following: (1) the major theories of the First Amendment; (2) the WHAT, HOW and WHERE of free speech; (3) government speech and the government as educator; (4) the seminal public school student free speech decisions in West Virginia Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)(compelled speech and the Pledge) and Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. School Dist., 393 U.S. 503 (1969)(black arm bands protesting the Vietnam War); (5) post-Tinker student free speech decisions limiting Tinker; and (6) Mahanoy itself.

I think that this video overview works not only for lawyers and law students, but for the general public as well. But you be the judge.

Here is the link, just in time for the holidays. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B7-vtrne4M3hEETwn9TPgylIe7_T0Jtd/view?usp=sharing

I invite you to follow me on Twitter @NahmodLaw.