The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment

Trump’s Erasure of American History

In the final episode of the season, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones sits down with host Cristian Farias to discuss the First Amendment, the fight to preserve hard-won civil rights, and the danger of “erasing our national memory.” From attacks on “The 1619 Project” to attacks on higher education and cultural institutions, she reflects on how “the past lives with us now” and why controlling history means controlling the present. ACLU attorney Emerson Sykes joins the conversation to discuss the tension that can arise between racial justice and free speech work, and how defending free speech while safeguarding civil rights is essential to protecting both our history and our future. "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org [http://knightcolumbia.org/], and follow us on social media.

When the President Comes for the Lawyers

Since taking office, President Trump has launched a retaliatory campaign aimed at punishing some of the nation’s most prominent law firms. Knight Institute Senior Counsel Scott Wilkens joins host Cristian Farias to explain how Trump’s executive orders are effectively intimidating law firms and lawyers from taking on clients and causes his administration opposes. Bob Bauer, former White House Counsel to President Obama, examines the unconstitutionality of the executive orders, calling the First Amendment violation a direct line that connects the attacks on Big Law with the attacks on universities and the press. "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org [http://knightcolumbia.org/], and follow us on social media.

How Higher Ed Got Jawboned

The Trump administration’s campaign of extortion against colleges and universities is coming to a head, as settlements with Columbia University and Brown University make headlines this week. Host Cristian Farias invites University of Chicago Law Professor and former Knight Institute Visiting Scholar Genevieve Lakier to discuss the strong First Amendment case universities should be making to resist the Trump administration’s jawboning of higher education. Wesleyan University President Michael Roth argues that the administration is weaponizing allegations of antisemitism “to get control of colleges and universities” and ultimately erode the independence of academic institutions. "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org [http://knightcolumbia.org/], and follow us on social media.

Standing up to ICE’s Courthouse Arrests

In recent weeks, reporters across the country have described chaos unfolding in courthouses as ICE agents have descended on state court and immigration proceedings to arrest and detain noncitizens. Knight Institute Legal Fellow Allie Schiele joins host Cristian Farias to discuss how these courthouse arrests implicate the First Amendment right to seek redress, as well as the Knight Institute’s recent FOIA request aimed at uncovering more about ICE’s courthouse arrest policies. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander shares ground-level accounts of these harrowing arrests—including his own—and underscores the urgent need to defend the rule of law in the face of ICE’s seemingly extralegal actions: “Once you start seeing families separated and people abducted, you feel like you've gotta do everything you can to raise your voice." "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org [http://knightcolumbia.org/], and follow us on social media.

Troubled Waters at the White House Press Pool

President Trump’s decision to block the Associated Press—and other journalists he dislikes—from the White House press pool is yet another clear attack on press freedom. Knight Institute Deputy Litigation Director Katie Fallow joins host Cristian Farias to discuss the legal implications of banning journalists from the pool, calling it a “classic First Amendment retaliation.” Longtime White House correspondent and HuffPost reporter S.V. Dáte speaks about the downstream effects these removals have had on both White House reporting and press freedom at large. "The Bully's Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment" is brought to you by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Please subscribe and leave a review. We’d love to know what you think. To learn more about the Knight Institute, visit our website, knightcolumbia.org [http://knightcolumbia.org/], and follow us on social media.