First Things First - by Ronald K Collins (Paperback)

About the Book

First Things First is a college coursebook like no other. Written by three First Amendment experts and professors, the book provides students with the fundamentals of modern American free speech law in a clear, concise, and accessible manner.

Book Synopsis

First Things First is a college coursebook like no other. Written by three First Amendment experts and professors, the book provides students with the fundamentals of modern American free speech law in a clear, concise, and accessible manner. First Things First also introduces readers to First Amendment issues related to topics such as student speech, freedom of the press, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, advertising, music censorship, and artificial intelligence. The text includes helpful study-aid summaries and questions. First Things First's vibrant and engaging tone ensures readers will leave this book with a dynamic understanding of their rights and the value of free speech.

Review Quotes

"First Things First sets the standard for teaching free speech law." --Stephen D. Solomon (founding editor, First Amendment Watch)

"With admirable clarity and brevity, First Things First covers the field of First Amendment law and theory in a readable and accessible way....This innovative book explains not just the fundamentals of First Amendment law, but how we got to where we are, and why." --Robert Corn-Revere (First Amendment lawyer)

"First Things First is a welcome addition to the course materials for students studying law, journalism, history, political science, government and a host of other disciplines." --Lucy A. Dalglish, dean and professor, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland

"First Things First is an incredibly insightful and inviting introduction to U.S. speech and press law. Its approach makes its content completely accessible to beginner and expert alike....First Things First is made for the 21st century student--and professor." --Joseph Russomanno, Associate Professor, Arizona State University

About the Author

Ronald K.L. Collins is the Harold S. Shefelman Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law. He specializes in First Amendment law and in constitutional law. Before coming to the University of Washington in 2010, he was a scholar at the Newseum's First Amendment Center in Washington, D.C., where he continues to serve as a fellow. In 2011 he received the Administration of Justice award from the Supreme Court Fellows Alumni Association in recognition of his scholarly and professional achievements in advancing the rule of law. Collins clerked for Justice Hans A. Linde on the Oregon Supreme Court and was a Supreme Court Fellow under Chief Justice Warren Burger. After working with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, he was a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School. Thereafter, he taught constitutional law and commercial law at George Washington University Law Center and Temple Law School. He is the editor of The Fundamental Holmes: A Free Speech Chronicle and Reader (2010), and the coauthor, with Sam Chaltain, of We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free: Stories about Free Speech in America (2011). His other coauthored works include The Death of Discourse (1996, 2005), The Trials of Lenny Bruce (2002, 2012), Mania (2013), and On Dissent (2013), all with David M. Skover. He is also the author of Nuanced Absolutism: Floyd Abrams & the First Amendment (2013) and the editor of The Death of Contract (1995) and Constitutional Government in America (1980). His numerous articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including the Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, and Texas Law Reviews and in the Supreme Court Review. He has also published in various newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Baltimore Sun as well as in The Nation and in the Columbia Journalism Review.