So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
Ep. 141 Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade
Jul 29, 2021
Morris Ernst may be the most influential free speech lawyer you’ve never heard of. He was the longtime general counsel for the ACLU, helped found the National Lawyers Guild, and just about single-handedly whittled away at obscenity laws in the United States. On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by University at Buffalo School of Law Professor Samantha Barbas to discuss her new book, “The Rise and Fall of Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade.”
Morris Ernst may be the most influential free speech lawyer you’ve never heard of. He was the longtime general counsel for the ACLU, helped found the National Lawyers Guild, and just about single-handedly whittled away at obscenity laws in the United States — even litigating the famous “Ulysses” case, which overturned a 13-year ban on James’ Joyce’s renowned novel.
But he was an enigma: A staunch anti-communist and sometimes red-baiter, a close confidant of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, an unofficial PR agent for the FBI, and, later in his life, a crusader against the relative sexual permissiveness of the 1960s and ‘70s.
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by University at Buffalo School of Law Professor Samantha Barbas to discuss her new book, “The Rise and Fall of Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade.”
Show notes:
- Transcript: https://www.thefire.org/so-to-speak-podcast-transcript-morris-ernst-free-speech-renegade/
- “The Rise and Fall of Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade” by Samantha Barbas
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So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
Ep. 140 Free speech, psychology, and madness
Jul 15, 2021
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Stetson University Professor of Psychology Christopher J. Ferguson for a wide-ranging conversation about the psychology of censorship, the role of madness and eccentricity in shaping history, the effects of social media, the growing polarization and politicization of modern institutions, including academia, and more.
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Stetson University Professor of Psychology Christopher J. Ferguson for a wide-ranging conversation about the psychology of censorship, the role of madness and eccentricity in shaping history, the effects of social media, the growing polarization and politicization of modern institutions, including academia, and more.
Ferguson is the author of the new book “How Madness Shaped History: An Eccentric Array of Maniacal Rulers, Raving Narcissists, and Psychotic Visionaries.” He also co-authored “Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games is Wrong,” which was the subject of a past So to Speak episode.
Show notes:
- Transcript
- “Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies” by Jared M. Diamond
- “Repressive Tolerance” by Herbert Marcuse
- “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness” by Cass Sunstein
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So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
Ep. 139 Mahanoy v. B.L. Supreme Court ruling analysis
Jun 24, 2021
This week, the United States Supreme Court vindicated the First Amendment rights of a high school cheerleader who was punished for a salty Snapchat she sent outside of school. It was a resounding victory for free speech advocates and the first time the Supreme Court has considered a high school free speech case since its disappointing 2007 ruling in Morse v. Frederick.
This week, the United States Supreme Court vindicated the First Amendment rights of a high school cheerleader who was punished for a salty Snapchat she sent outside of school. It was a resounding victory for free speech advocates and the first time the Supreme Court has considered a high school free speech case since its disappointing 2007 ruling in Morse v. Frederick.
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we analyze the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. with FIRE Legal Director Will Creeley and FIRE Legal Fellow David Hudson.
Show notes:
- Transcript
- Court opinion: Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.
- Listen to an audio reading of the opinion via Free Speech Out Loud
- FIRE, NCAC, and CBLDF file brief in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., cheerleader Snapchat case before Supreme Court
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Photo by Danna Singer/Provided by the ACLU
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So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
Ep. 138 A history of Western censorship with Eric Berkowitz
Jun 17, 2021
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by lawyer and writer Eric Berkowitz to discuss his fascinating new book, “Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News.” Berkowitz’s “Dangerous Ideas” is a comprehensive and insightful adventure through time to examine censorship’s origins and trends.
Socrates’ fateful hemlock. Henry VIII’s death decree for those who imagined his downfall. The 1836 “Gag Rule” banning slavery discussions in Congress. Britain’s early ban on films criticizing Hitler and Stalin.
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by lawyer and writer Eric Berkowitz to discuss his fascinating new book, “Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News.”
Berkowitz’s “Dangerous Ideas” is a comprehensive and insightful adventure through time to examine censorship’s origins and trends.
Also joining the conversation is FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff.
Show notes:
- Transcript
- Washington Post: “Secret Consortium to Publish Rushdie in Paperback”
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So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
Ep. 137 The Constitution of Knowledge with Jonathan Rauch
Jun 03, 2021
What differentiates Albert Einstein from a madman? How do we turn disagreement into knowledge? How do we know what’s true in a world filled with disinformation, conspiracy theories, trolling, and social media pile-ons? On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch to discuss his new book “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth,” which is set for release on June 22, 2021.
What differentiates Albert Einstein from a madman? How do we turn disagreement into knowledge? How do we know what’s true in a world filled with disinformation, conspiracy theories, trolling, and social media pile-ons?
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch to discuss his new book “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth,” which is set for release on June 22, 2021.
Also joining the conversation is FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff.
Show notes:
- Transcript
- “The Constitution of Knowledge” by Jonathan Rauch
- “Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought” by Jonathan Rauch
- “The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
www.sotospeakpodcast.com
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