This month’s episode features Slate Senior Editor and Lady Justice author Dahlia Lithwick. Together with host and Center Executive Director Michelle Deutchman, Dahlia talks through recent events at Stanford Law School, cases at the high court and the significance of the expulsion of two Black Tennessee state representatives for exercising their speech rights.

Episode Resources:

• Recent Slate Articles by Dahlia Lithwick: 
• “How to Use the Lesson the Media Learned About Trump Now” 
• "Blue America Finally Caught Donald Trump"
• Most Recent “Amicus” Podcast Episode on Tennessee Legislators: https://slate.com/podcasts/amicus/2023/04/the-tennessee-three-and-the-republican-strategy-to-make-voting-irrelevant 
• New York Times piece by Vimal Patel on Stanford Law School: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/us/stanford-law-school-free-speech.html 
• Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America by Dahlia Lithwick 

UC Irvine School of Law Clinical Professor David Kaye joins SpeechMatters this month to tackle freedom of expression from a global perspective. The conversation touches on how tools like social media and AI might work for (and against) protesters around the world, and why “using the vocabulary of human rights” here at home and on our campuses can enhance expression.

Episode Resources:

• International Justice Clinic at UC Irvine Law
• Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet by David Kaye
• UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
• David Kaye’s work as UN Special Rapporteur 
• Global Network Initiative

Two former Center fellows Ellis Cose, Director of the Renewing American Democracy Project, and Teri Platt, Associate Professor of Public Administration at Clark Atlanta University come together to talk about Black History Month, the teaching of Black history and the critical role that the next generation of voices can have in our democracy.

Resources: 

• Renewing American Democracy Project  
• Teri Platt’s Fellowship Project: “Evaluation of Free Speech and Civic Engagement on Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Campuses for 2020 Social Justice Summer and General Election” 
• Ellis Cose’s Fellowship Project: “Free Speech in a Post-Truth Society” 
• La Times opinion article by Ellis Cose: “Opinion: Black History Month is a century-old relic – one we still desperately need” 
• Campus Vote Project - Legacy Initiative 
• Ways that Voting is Harder in GA

To kick off season two of SpeechMatters, Michelle Deutchman is joined by University of Pennsylvania Professor and author Sigal Ben-Porath to discuss her new book, Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Foster Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, and Renew Democracy. Ben-Porath leaves listeners with steps everyone can take to strengthen community and, ultimately, democracy. 

With the holiday season in full swing, Michelle Deutchman chats with Tania Israel, UCSB Professor and the author of Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, and BridgeUSA CEO Manu Meel, about how to engage in challenging conversations with family and friends and why doing so is fundamental to democracy.

NOTE: Since the time of recording the “Class Notes” segment, a contract was ratified for a number of the UC strikers.

In this episode, Center Executive Director Michelle Deutchman and Eric Goldman, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Law at Santa Clara University Law School, consider the two cases on the Supreme Court docket that could transform the internet speech landscape. Goldman suggests ways that individuals can be part of shaping the future of “Internet 3.0.”

In this episode, Michelle Deutchman invites PEN America’s Director of Free Expression and Educational Programs Jonathan Friedman and ACLU’s Senior Staff Attorney Emerson Sykes to discuss their ongoing efforts to protect free speech and academic freedom from censorious state legislation.

In this episode, Michelle Deutchman sits down with two seasoned journalists on the higher education beat, Elissa Nadworny from National Public Radio and Michael Powell from The New York Times, to discuss what their reporting has revealed about the evolving relationship between higher education, free speech and democratic learning.

In this ‘Back to School’ episode, Michelle sits down with UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman and Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of Berkeley Law, who also serve as co-chairs of the Center’s National Advisory Board. The trio discuss recent trends related to campus speech and academic freedom, as well as what challenges lie ahead in the coming academic year.

In this episode, Michelle Deutchman discusses the legal fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ community with Jenny Pizer, Acting Chief Legal Officer at Lambda Legal. Lambda is the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV. Michelle and Jenny discuss the role of litigation, education and public policy work in the LGBTQ movement including the release of the updated Title IX regulations and an expressive conduct case that is headed to the Supreme Court.