The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted enormous financial damage on colleges and universities and the cost is still growing. American higher education will undergo an unprecedented financial crisis in the coming months. "Critical Care" is a plan to guide the federal response to these unprecedented disruptions facing higher education in…

History has placed the stamp of approval on the publication of the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret history of the Vietnam War. If WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange is another Daniel Ellsberg, then it is possible the website's disclosures will be viewed over time as similarly in the public interest. A classroom discussion on the release of…

In response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the USA PATRIOT Act greatly expanded the ability of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use National Security Letters (NSLs) in investigations and the contexts in which they could be used by relaxing the standards under which NSLs could be employed. NSLs allow investigators to acquire a significant…

Enshrined in the First Amendment as part of the Bill of Rights that was added to the then 4 year old US Constitution in 1791, it should be no surprise that freedom of speech may be perhaps the most cherished right of Americans. If anything, freedom of speech, which is properly treated as a fundamental human right for children, certainly stands out…

A common misconception among first-year university students is that the United States provides unabridged, uncensored absolute free speech rights. Evidently these assumptions are derived from popular press and entertainment industry images which place heavy emphasis on one end of the debate. It is a shock for some students to be exposed to the…

Since 1957 the Department of Defense has subjected all forms of speech of U.S. military personnel meant for publication to prepublication review based on security and policy criteria. The historical development of the Defense Department's prepublication review program and its specific implementation by the U.S. Air Force lead to questions of First…

Activities dealing with First Amendment issues involve secondary students in exploring freedom of the press and speech in general and as they apply in the schools and in developing a personal position regarding the appropriate balance between the public's right to know and the need for national security. (RM)

National security controls and restrictions on academic institutions and individuals are discussed, with focus on how the principles of first amendment rights (academic freedom in particular) must balance attempts on censorship of unclassified publications and academic presentations. Specific legislation and litigation are considered. (MSE)

Describes a number of initiatives by the U.S. national security community that might restrict or monitor public access to sensitive but unclassified information. The current status of the initiatives, and their possible impact on freedom of information in a democratic society are discussed. (27 references) (Author/CLB)

Science and technology may affect the balance between First Amendment rights and government interests by changing power relationships between individuals and between individuals and the state. Technology will give rise to new ways of communicating which amplify the ways in which individuals and organizations express themselves. New technologies,…

Recently, there has been a definite shift away from United States government support for the unrestricted exchange of new, unclassified scientific and technical information at professional meetings. This has been substantiated by numerous specific examples of censorship by branches of the government. Scientists in the target professional…

The Law section of the Proceedings contains the following 10 papers: "Protection without a Shield: Revisiting the Journalist's Common Law Privilege" (Laurence B. Alexander); "Burning the Global Village: The Constitutionality of State Laws Regulating Indecency in Cyberspace" (Dolores L. Flamiano); "Of Jellyfish and…

Introduces the censorship, and imprisonment of Jehovah's Witnesses who distributed, "The Finished Mystery," which contained antiwar statements deemed seditious during World War I. Asks students to examine a Justice Department document pertaining to the case. Helps students decide whether national security needs should override First…

In October 2001, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act to strengthen the ability of the U.S. government to combat terrorism. Unfortunately, some sections of the Act strike at core values and practices of libraries and archives, especially in the areas of record keeping, privacy, confidentiality, security, and access to the collections. This article…

Predicated on the belief that communications students are capable of understanding communications law and the processes that created it, this book examines U.S. Supreme Court opinions on the First Amendment. The book addresses the following topics: 1) the American legal system and freedom of expression (in introductory chapters); 2) defamation; 3)…