Short Circuit 193 | Hamilton Singing Fire in a Crowded Theater

What did Alexander Hamilton tell the Marquis de Lafayette on July 21, 1780? Probably not that his letter would be the subject of a civil forfeiture case. Yet that came to pass in the First Circuit, and IJ attorney Bob Belden explains why it turns out the family that owned the letter were throwing away their shot. Meanwhile in the Second Circuit a fire on a movie set turns into a First Amendment retaliation claim. Kirby Thomas West joins us not to warn of the dangers of shouting fire, but what a fire chief who is your boss might do to you if you speak up on other topics.

Specht v. City of New York, https://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/69832f88-a75b-4fd5-b4ef-89041b7ff601/1/doc/20-4211_opn.pdf#xml=https://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/69832f88-a75b-4fd5-b4ef-89041b7ff601/1/hilite/

United States v. Letter from Alexander Hamilton to the Marquis de Lafayette Dated July 21, 1780, http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/20-2061P-01A.pdf

Kirby Thomas West, https://ij.org/staff/kirby-thomas-west/

Bob Belden, https://ij.org/staff/bob-belden/

Anthony Sanders, https://ij.org/staff/asanders/

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