Managed Speech ─ The Roberts Court's First Amendment

This book comprehensively explores and critiques how the current U.S. Supreme Court, under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, has reshaped First Amendment law. It argues that this Court has consistently used First Amendment law to promote a limited view of freedom, while bolstering social and political stability. This book examines every decision about expressive freedom the Supreme Court handed down between Chief Justice Roberts' ascent in September 2005 and Justice Scalia's death in February 2016. During Chief Justice Roberts' tenure, the Court has issued more than forty decisions that interpret the First Amendment's speech protections. These decisions comprise one of the most important parts of this Court's record and legacy while inspiring sharply divergent judgments. The author explores many of the key recurring debates in First Amendment law as well as providing much needed attention on the special problems of the government preserve cases and the high stakes of the electoral process cases.

Gregory P. Magarian is Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches and writes about U.S. constitutional law, with a focus on the First Amendment freedom of expression. His work also explores law and religion, gun regulation, and the law of politics. He has published widely in leading law journals, and he has taught and lectured around the world. Professor Magarian received his B.A. summa cum laude from Yale and his J.D. magna cum laude, as well as a master's degree in public policy, from the University of Michigan. He served as a judicial clerk, first for Judge Louis Oberdorfer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, then for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court. He practiced law at Jenner and Block in Washington, D.C. and taught at Villanova University before joining the Washington University faculty in 2008. He lives in St. Louis with his wife and daughter.