First Amendment scholar to discuss Minnesota's role in First Amendment law

First Amendment scholar and president of Furman University, Rodney Smolla will deliver a keynote lecture.

What: A lecture on Minnesota’s role in First Amendment law
Who: Rodney Smolla, First Amendment scholar and president of Furman University
When: 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14
Where: 155 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis

First Amendment scholar and Furman University President Rodney Smolla will deliver a keynote lecture about Minnesota’s role in First Amendment law at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, to kick off a weeklong event focusing on the First Amendment. He will speak in Room 155 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Drive S.E., Minneapolis.

The event, "They All Began Here: Minnesota’s Landmark Supreme Court Cases Then and Now," examines three U.S. Supreme Court cases that took place in Minnesota and how the decisions in these cases still affect First Amendment rights.

Smolla is nationally recognized as a First Amendment scholar, teacher, advocate and writer. His lecture will focus on the important role these Minnesota cases play in First Amendment law today—particularly in the areas of hate speech, government censorship, national security and whether reporters should use confidential sources.

To register for Smolla’s lecture, visit umnlibertykeynote.eventbrite.com.

In April 2011 Smolla published “The Constitution Goes to College: Five Constitutional Ideas That Have Shaped the American University.” As part of his stop at the University of Minnesota, Smolla will be at the University Bookstore in Coffman Union at 4 p.m. on Nov. 14 to discuss and sign his book.

The event is made possible with funding from the $5,000 Liberty Tree Initiative Grant. For a complete listing of all events, including panels about each case and student engagement sessions, visit mnlibertytree.com.

The Liberty Tree Initiative is an informal coalition of educators, journalists, librarians, artists and authors with a shared interest in building awareness of the First Amendment through education. The Liberty Tree Initiative brings enlightening and thought-provoking programs to college campuses across the country.

The School of Journalism & Mass Communication (SJMC) at the University of Minnesota is part of the College of Liberal Arts and is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Journalism and Mass Communication.

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• Last modified on October 28, 2011