University of Alabama School of Law
Room A255
Program
The Alabama Law Review will host a symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of New York Times v. Sullivan on February 28, 2014, at The University of Alabama School of Law.
New York Times v. Sullivan is one of the most important cases in the history of First Amendment jurisprudence. Famously described by a noted First Amendment scholar at the time as “an occasion for dancing in the streets,” the decision in New York Times v. Sullivan constitutionalized the law of libel, recognizing a dramatic breadth of freedom to criticize public officials for their conduct; in so doing, it had a significant impact on both freedom of speech and freedom of the press, one that has been debated ever since. As a historical matter, moreover, the case was intimately connected to the history of the civil rights movement, particularly within the state of Alabama.
Our speakers include some of the nation’s foremost experts on both the history and law concerning New York Times v. Sullivan. They include Professor David A. Anderson, University of Texas School of Law; Judge U.W. Clemon, Northern District of Alabama; Professor RonNell Andersen Jones, BYU Law School; Judge Robert Sack, Second Circuit Court of Appeals; Professor Chris Schmidt, ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law; Professor Mark Tushnet, Harvard Law School; and Professor Sonya West, The University of Georgia School of Law.
Welcome & Introduction
Paul Horwitz, Gordon Rosen Professor of Law, The University of Alabama
Opening Remarks
David A. Anderson, Fred & Emily Marshall Wulff Centennial Chair in Law, University of Texas School of Law
Session I
Reflections of a Civil Rights Lawyer-Activist on New York Times v. Sullivan
Judge U.W. Clemon, Northern District of Alabama (ret.) and Partner, White,Arnold & Dowd
Moderator: Preston Register, University of Alabama School of Law
Session II
New York Times v. Sullivan Around the World
Mark Tushnet, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Harvard LawSchool
Moderator: Lane Morrison, University of Alabama School of Law
Session III
First Amendment Neighbors
Sonja West, Associate Professor of Law, University of Georgia School of Law
Moderator: Mark Adams, University of Alabama School of Law
Session IV
Keynote Address
Judge Robert Sack, Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Moderator: Forrest Phillips, University of Alabama School of Law
Session V
Ambitious Advocacy
David A. Anderson, Fred & Emily Marshall Wulff Centennial Chair in Law, University of Texas School of Law
Moderator: Anna Twardy, University of Alabama School of Law
Session VI
What the U.S. Supreme Court Thinks of the Press and Why it Matters
Professor RonNell Andersen Jones, Associate Professor of Law, Brigham Young University Law School
Moderator: Jon Tebbs, University of Alabama School of Law
Session VII
New York Times v. Sullivan and the Legal Attack on the Civil Rights Movement
Christopher Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
Moderator: Sam Schott, University of Alabama School of Law
Closing Remarks
David A. Anderson, Fred & Emily Marshall Wulff Centennial Chair in Law, University of Texas School of Law
Moderator: Christopher Driver, University of Alabama School of Law
