Speaking Freely: Trials of the First Amendment

by Floyd Abrams

Paperback, 2006

Status

Available

Call number

342.7308

Genres

Politics, Government, Law and Public Policy

Collection

Main

Publication

Penguin Books (2006), 352 pages

Description

An eminent First Amendment advocate discusses his best-known cases in light of the current threat to America's freedom of speech. From the Patriot Act to Janet Jackson's Super Bowl show, recent events have embroiled America and its media in ongoing battles to maintain this country's freedom of expression. In this book, an attorney on the front lines of America's fight for uncensored expression for more than thirty years re-creates eight of his most important cases. With adversaries as diverse as Richard Nixon, Wayne Newton, and Rudy Giuliani, and allies as unlikely as Kenneth Starr and Senator Mitch McConnell, Abrams takes readers behind the scenes to examine his strategies, the ramifications of each of the decisions, and the long-term significance of each case, while presenting a look at the law in action.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member DeaconBernie

I read this book for a specific purpose: to clarify President Obama's comments in his January 2010 State of the Union speech. Mr Abrams took me through a number of cases in which he was involved including the Pentagon Papers, Wayne Newton, the Brooklyn Museum and the first case about the

constitutionality of McCain-Feingold law to attempt to limit the money in politics. He has a noble mind and passionately defends Freedom of the Press. Interestingly, when he came into the practice of law, he admits to a much more reserved view of Press freedom -- and, after reading his book, I reversed my own thinking about the Pentagon Papers case. Freedom of the Press would seem to be an easy enough concept to grasp and apply. It is not. For instance, in the Pentagon Papers case, we recall they were in Daniel Ellsburg's possession illegally. One cannot deny that Mr Ellsburg did profit from the release of the Pentagon Papers so there is a real complicating issue, which defeated many of us, myself included, from the Press Freedom issue.

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