On Sept. 13, 2023, the National Constitution Center, in partnership with a coalition of leading free speech organizations, convened a National First Amendment Summit to discuss increasing threats to freedom of expression and to celebrate the opening of the Center's new First Amendment gallery.
During the two and one-half hour event, author and free-speech advocate Salman Rushdie engaged in a virtual keynote conversation via livestream with Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America. Their discussion focused on the importance of free speech in a democratic society and the forces of censorship that imperil its existence.
Following the keynote conversation, three groups of leading First Amendment thinkers and scholars discussed the First Amendment’s origins, the First Amendment in the courts, and the First Amendment on campus and online.
Full video of the live event is below. Each segment begins at the time code for the start of each discussion.
Keynote Conversation
Salman Rushdie and Suzanne Nossel discussed the importance of free speech in a democratic society and the forces of censorship that imperil its existence.
Panel 1: The Origins of the First Amendment and Its Central Role in Democracy
Scholars focused on the origins of the First Amendment and its critical role as a check on the government.
Panelists:
Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University
Jacob Mchangama, founder and CEO of Justitia; Research Professor at Vanderbilt University
Stephen Solomon, Marjorie Deane Professor of Journalism at New York University; founder of NYU’s First Amendment
Moderator: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center
Panel 2: The First Amendment in the Courts
The discussion focused on exploring the current legal controversies filling the daily headlines—from defamation to book banning to threatening language.
Panelists:
Floyd Abrams, senior counsel at Cahill Gordon & Reindel
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
Lyrissa Lidsky, Raymond & Miriam Ehrlich Chair in U.S. Constitutional Law at Florida Law
Moderator: Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Panel 3: The First Amendment on Campus and Online
The concluding panel examined the increasing conflicts involving free speech on campuses and online in an age of social media, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies.
Panelists:
Will Creeley, legal director at FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
Jeannie Suk Gersen, John H. Watson, Jr., Professor of Law at Harvard Law School
Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, Emerita, at New York Law School
Moderator: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center
This program is presented in partnership with the Freedom Forum, FIRE, the First Amendment Watch at NYU, PEN America, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
