The limits of free speech
Summary
Vox’s Ben Wofford details the case of Ellie Fisher, a Texas Tech law student accused of celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder, which led to her professor’s forced resignation and a bar admission recommendation against her. The episode contextualizes this incident within Texas’s recent legislative overhaul of higher education, which weakened academic freedom protections. Greg Lukianoff of FIRE then discusses the broader national crisis in free speech, arguing that political polarization has eroded shared values around expression and that current events, from campus protests to media bans, signal…
Topics discussed
Introduction to Ellie Fisher and the Texas Tech controversy
Sponsor reads and show introduction
The events of the day: Kirk's death and the clinic discussions
Political changes in Texas higher education and SB 37
Investigation, honor council hearing, and the verdict
Bar admission threat and legal battles
Sponsor segments and transition to interview
Interview with Greg Lukianoff on the state of free speech
Political polarization and the loss of shared free speech values
Future outlook for free speech in America
Closing credits
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