First Amendment Stories

by Richard W. Garnett, Andrew Koppelman

This Stories title will enrich First Amendment courses and help students appreciate the premises that animate the cases and the values that are at stake in religious-liberty and free-speech controversies, rarely captured fully by doctrinal presentations. This collection offers carefully selected and rich cases that involve real stories, which can themselves serve as points-of-entry to the many great, ongoing debates that run through our free speech and religious liberty traditions.

576 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Richard W. Garnett (born November 6, 1968) is an associate dean and professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, teaching in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, First Amendment law, and the death penalty. He has contributed to research in such topics as school choice and Catholic social teaching. His articles have appeared in a variety of prominent law journals, including the Cornell Law Review, the Georgetown Law Journal, the Michigan Law Review, and the UCLA Law Review. He also regularly appears in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal and as a guest on National Public Radio.

Reviews

[Andrew MacKie-Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Amendment Stories is a valuable volume for those interested in First Amendment law, broadly conceived. It brings together a variety of interesting cases, dealing with political speech, obscenity, free exercise, establishment, and student rights, among other topics.

I do wish that many of the authors had focused more on the story-telling aspect of things, and less on the doctrinal arguments. As it is, this book is not likely to interest those who don't have a strong interest in First Amendment doctrine (as opposed to just First Amendment stories) but it remains a relatively easy and accessible read.