This is New York Times v. Sullivan (1964).

Legal Question: To what extent does the First Amendment protections for speech and press limit a state's power to award damages in a libel action brought by a public official against critics of his official conduct?

Action: The Court ruled in favor of The Times.

This opinion’s citations have been edited down and all footnotes have been removed for ease of listening.

For more episodes, visit thefire.org/outloud.

This article titled “Nature Human Misbehavior: politicized science is neither science nor progress” by Johnathan Rauch was published on FIRE’s Newsdesk on September 14, 2022. 

View the article for all links to citations and related materials.  

Join FIRE’s Alumni Network.

For more episodes, visit thefire.org/outloud.

O'Hare Truck Service, Inc. v. City of Northlake is read by Casey Mattox, the vice president for legal and judicial strategy at Americans for Prosperity.

Legal Question: Whether government retaliation against a contractor or regular provider of services for the exercise of rights of political association or allegiance violates the First Amendment’s free speech guarantee.

Action: The Court found that the independent contractor relationship between O'Hare and the City was sufficiently close to an employer-employee relationship to justify the recognition of a First Amendment right. 

Mr. Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court, at 00:35

This opinion’s citations have been edited down for ease of listening. For more information, visit our explanation.

For more on O’Hare, visit FIRE’s First Amendment Library.

For more episodes, visit thefire.org/outloud.

Free Speech Out Loud is a project of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.