The Soul of the First Amendment

Name: The Soul of the First Amendment
Brand: Brilliance Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Floyd Abrams
ISBN: 9781536684124

Author: Floyd Abrams

Narrator: James Foster

Unabridged: 3 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Published: 04/25/2017

Categories: Nonfiction, Political Science, Civil Rights, Constitutions, Law, Constitutional Law

Synopsis

A lively and controversial overview by the nation’s most celebrated First Amendment lawyer of the unique protections for freedom of speech in AmericaThe right of Americans to voice their beliefs without government approval or oversight is protected under what may well be the most honored and least understood addendum to the US Constitution—the First Amendment. Floyd Abrams, a noted lawyer and award-winning legal scholar specializing in First Amendment issues, examines the degree to which American law protects free speech more often, more intensely, and more controversially than is the case anywhere else in the world, including democratic nations such as Canada and England. In this lively, powerful, and provocative work, the author addresses legal issues from the adoption of the Bill of Rights through recent cases such as Citizens United. He also examines the repeated conflicts between claims of free speech and those of national security occasioned by the publication of classified material such as was contained in the Pentagon Papers and was made public by WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden.

About Floyd Abrams

Floyd Abrams, a senior partner in the Cahill Gordon & Reindel law firm, has litigated cases ranging from the Pentagon Papers case to Citizens United and has taught as a visiting lecturer at the Yale Law School.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Holly Weston on May 06, 2025

Whew. When you decry the Citizens United ruling but have to concede that Floyd Abrams is brilliant and makes some difficult-to-refute points… I’m a bit reminded of how I felt during law school when I read a Scalia opinion or dissent: I might heartily disagree with what I believe will be the practica......more

Goodreads review by E on September 05, 2017

It's rare for anybody to change my mind on something (because I think I know everything about anything already), but Abrams managed to do exactly that in chapter V of his "Soul of the First Amendment." He must have been a wonderful teacher; he has a real gift for making the arcane intelligible. He's......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on June 13, 2018

As usual, I learned that things are more complicated than they first appear. The issues were intelligently discussed in this book and I came away with a better understanding of the first amendment, at least as it relates to freedom of speech.......more

Goodreads review by Scriptor Ignotus on November 01, 2017

This is a short paean to the free speech protections afforded by the First Amendment. The author, Floyd Abrams, is a(n) (in)famous lawyer specializing in First Amendment issues. He represented Senator Mitch McConnell in the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court case, for which he was lambasted by Kei......more

Goodreads review by Amy on November 06, 2018

We've had some of the most expensive elections in US history since the Citizens United decision, but all of the predictions about the dire consequences of corporate money drenched elections have "proved to be inaccurate"? Pull the other one; it has bells on. Don't get me wrong: some of what's in thi......more