Popehat's Ken White hosts "Make No Law," a podcast on the Legal Talk Network.
In the podcast, we explore the background, personalities, and social and historical context of some of America's most important First Amendment cases. What made Walter Chaplinsky so angry that he uttered his famous "fighting words" in New Hampshire, and why was a crowd so angry at him? Why did Mary Beth Tinker decide to wear a black armband to school? What made Richard Ceballos' supervisors retaliate against him for raising concerns about police misconduct, and how did he fight back? Who gets to decide whether a trademark like "The Slants" is offensive to a group — members of the group, or the government?
Through interviews of some of the participants, historians, and experts, primary documents read by voice actors, and commentary, Ken White will explain both what these cases mean for your rights today, and what they meant to the real people who fought for their rights to produce these decisions. Every episode will be accompanied by a post here at Popehat with links to supporting materials: cases, oral argument recordings, historical materials, and so on. As the series progresses, we hope that you will send in your First Amendment questions and your suggestions for cases to cover.
You can get the episodes on Apple Podcasts or Google Play, Soundcloud, or at the Legal Talk Network, or listen to them through a link right here on the blog. There's also the RSS feed.