Alabama Law Review to Host New York Times vs. Sullivan Symposium

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama Law Review will host a symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of New York Times vs. Sullivan on Feb. 28 at The University of Alabama School of Law.

New York Times vs. 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 vs. 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.

Symposium speakers include some of the nation’s foremost experts on both the history and law concerning New York Times vs. 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.

The event is open to the public and begins at 8 a.m. in room A255 in the law school. Those wishing to attend must register by Feb. 21. Go to www.law.ua.edu/register to register for the symposium.

 The Alabama Law Review is  a nationally recognized journal of legal scholarship, and it is the flagship legal journal in Alabama.

Contact

Helen Cauthen, communication specialist, UA School of Law, 205/348-5195, hcauthen@law.ua.edu; UA media relations, 205/348-5320