Eternally Vigilant: Free Speech in the Modern Era [Hardcover]

Lee C. Bollinger (Editor), Geoffrey R. Stone (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0226063534 | ISBN-13: 978-0226063539 | Edition: 1

While freedom of speech has been guaranteed us for centuries, the First Amendment as we know it today is largely a creation of the past eighty years. Eternally Vigilant brings together a group of distinguished legal scholars to reflect boldly on its past, its present shape, and what forms our understanding of it might take in the future. The result is a unique volume spanning the entire spectrum of First Amendment issues, from its philosophical underpinnings to specific issues like campaign regulation, obscenity, and the new media.

"With group efforts, such as this collection of essays, it is almost inevitable that there will be a couple—and often several—duds among the bunch, or at least a dismaying repetition of ideas. Such is not the case here. . . . Whether one agrees with a given author or not (and it is possible to do both with any of the essays), each has something to add. Overall, Eternally Vigilant is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book, consistently intelligent and, at times, brilliant."—Richard J. Mollot, New York Law Journal

Contributors:

Lillian R. BeVier
Vincent Blasi
Lee C. Bollinger
Stanley Fish
Owen M. Fiss
R. Kent Greenawalt
Richard A. Posner
Robert C. Post
Frederick Schauer
Geoffrey R. Stone
David A. Strauss
Cass R. Sunstein

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

For more than two hundred years, the freedom of speech-considered among our most precious rights-has been guaranteed by the constitution. Yet, as Lee Bollinger and Geoffrey Stone point out in their introductory essay, the First Amendment as we know it is largely a creation of the past eighty years. Eternally Vigilant brings together a stellar group of legal scholars to reflect boldly on the past, present, and future of the First Amendment.

Organized thematically, the book begins with a historical overview by David Strauss and an examination of the philosophical underpinnings of the First Amendment by Vincent Blasi. Kent Greenawalt and Richard Posner explore the lessons of the initial Supreme Court decisions on the freedom of speech; Robert Post, Frederick Schauer, and Stanley Fish reflect on First Amendment theory and doctrine; and Lillian BeVier, Owen Fiss, and Cass Sunstein address contemporary free speech issues and the future of free speech. Stone and Bollinger provide helpful introductory notes to each essay and offer an informal "dialogue" to introduce nonexperts to the major issues of free speech jurisprudence.

The result is a unique volume that reaches across the entire spectrum of First Amendment issues and offers a series of speculative essays that explore such diverse subjects as seditious libel, campaign regulation, commercial advertising, obscenity, and the new media.

About the Author

Lee C. Bollinger is a professor of law and president of the University of Michigan. He is the author of The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech in America and Images of a Free Press.

Geoffrey R. Stone is the Harry Kalven Jr. Distinguished Service Professor of Law and provost of the University of Chicago. He is the coauthor of The First Amendment and coeditor of the annual Supreme Court Review.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (January 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226063534
• ISBN-13: 978-0226063539
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,327,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)