FREE SPEECH

The Vulnerability of Free Speech Doctrine

By Christian I. Bale

Freedom of speech is like baseball, hotdogs, and apple pie. Whereas one survey found that less than half of Americans can name the three branches of the federal government, another showed that 64 percent of Americans can recall that the First Amendment protects free speech . . .

In a Post-Michelle Carter World, Be Careful What You Say

By Laurel Newman

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (SJC) recently affirmed Michelle Carter’s conviction of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the suicide of Conrad Roy. The case has been especially newsworthy since before the trial occurred, due to Ms. Carter’s indictment resting solely on spoken and written words that the Commonwealth says coerced the victim to commit suicide. As this author previously wrote, this case is the first where a defendant has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter without doing any physical act . . .