Unprecedented

By WAMU

Society & Culture History

What's Unprecedented about?

Unprecedented tells the raw and emotional stories of ordinary people who defined the limits of our First Amendment rights. Hosted by award-winning radio producers Michael Vuolo and Matthew Schwartz with special appearances by NPR’s Nina Totenberg. You'll never think of the Constitution the same way again. From WAMU.

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Unprecedented episodes:

12.18.2019
A Thousand Ways to Kill You
Anthony Elonis wrote a series of Facebook posts describing gory fantasies of revenge, often in the form of rap lyrics, against his estranged wife and others. He was later convicted of violating a federal law that prohibits such threats and...
12.11.2019
Bodily Harm Is Coming
To a Klu Klux Klan member, a flaming cross is a "beautiful" symbol of "racial purity." To many Americans, it's the image of racist intimidation. But, what is it to the Supreme Court, and is it protected by the Constitution?...
12.04.2019
Drugs for a Deity
Joe Frederick knew that students have some free speech rights, but he wanted to find out just how far those rights go. So when his high school class headed outside to watch the Olympic torch pass through their Alaska neighborhood...
11.20.2019
The Most Moderate Protest
John and Mary Beth Tinker—teenagers in Iowa during the mid-1960s—wore black armbands to school one day as a symbolic protest against the Vietnam War. They were both suspended and later sued the Des Moines school district for violating their First...
11.13.2019
Middle Finger To God
When Albert Snyder arrived for the funeral service of his son Matthew, a young Marine who died in the Iraq War, he was surprised by the noise and chaos that greeted him. Seven members of the Westboro Baptist Church—which believes...
11.06.2019
Terry Abrahamson’s Dirty Joke
When asked to pen some biting humor for the pages of Hustler back in 1983, writer Terry Abrahamson took aim at evangelical Christian preacher Jerry Falwell. The result was a vulgar parody of a real Campari ad—though instead of celebrities...
10.30.2019
“Not Alone In My Own Body”
Emily Heiden was pregnant, panicked, and searching for advice. She found a clinic on the internet that promised medical guidance "without politics or hype," yet what she encountered was not what she expected. California lawmakers, concerned about the way religious...
10.23.2019
Live Free…or Try
Unprecedented begins with the story of a man who, nearly a half-century ago, committed a minor act of civil disobedience when he covered up the state motto on his license plate. Meet George Maynard, who battled New Hampshire over a...
10.03.2019
Introducing Unprecedented
A new podcast from WAMU introduces you to the accidental guardians of our First Amendment rights.