Hate Speech and the First Amendment: Where Are the Boundaries?

Now more than ever, it is important to know where the boundary lies between constitutionally protected expression and unprotected "hate speech." In this course, Ameer Benno, a civil rights and constitutional law attorney, examines First Amendment case law, explains where the lines are drawn, and identifies the constitutional issues animating current debates over protected speech.  

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine the hate speech exception to First Amendment protections, learn about the seminal jurisprudence on this issue, and recognize what issues remain unsettled
2. Review what "fighting words" are and how we identify them
3. Familiarize with what constitutes an unprotected "true threat"
4. Gain insight into what falls into the unprotected category of defamation and libel