Speech Out of Doors: Preserving First Amendment Liberties in Public Places

by Timothy Zick

• ISBN13: 9780521517300
• ISBN10: 0521517303
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-27
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The Supreme Court has emphasized that expressive liberties require 'breathing space' in which to thrive. At a minimum, speakers need places in which to assemble, speak, and petition government. This book is a comprehensive examination of First Amendment rights in public places. It shows that the literal ground beneath speakers' feet has been steadily eroding, from personal spaces to college campuses and to once vast and important inscribed places, such as public parks and public squares. Through the study of 'expressive topography', this book considers a variety of contemporary speech contests including restrictions on abortion clinic sidewalk counselors, protests at military funerals, and restrictions on assembly and speech at political conventions. Countering or reversing these forces will require a focused and sustained effort by public officials, courts, and, of course, the people themselves.

Author Biography

Timothy Zick is Professor of Law at the College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law.

Table of Contents

Introduction: the geography of expression

The expressive topography and public liberties

Embodied places

Contested places

Non-places

Inscribed places

Militarized places

Places of higher learning

Networked public places

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