Paul Sherman on Free Speech in Elections: Philosophy in Action Podcast

I interviewed Institute for Justice attorney Paul Sherman about "Free Speech in Elections" on Philosophy in Action Radio on Wednesday, 9 January 2013.

You can listen to or download the audio podcast any time. You'll find the podcast on the episode's archive page, as well as below.

Podcast: 9 January 2013: Paul Sherman on "Free Speech in Elections"

Many people support restrictions on spending in elections, particularly by corporations, in the name of "transparency" and "accountability." Institute for Justice attorney Paul Sherman takes a very different view. He argues persuasively that any restrictions on campaign spending are violations of freedom of speech. He has successfully argued that view in courts across the country.

Paul Sherman is an attorney with the Institute for Justice. He litigates cutting-edge constitutional cases protecting the First Amendment, economic liberty, property rights and other individual liberties in both federal and state courts. Paul has litigated extensively in the area of campaign finance. He currently represents a group of Florida political activists in Worley v. Roberts, a challenge to state campaign finance laws that burden the right of citizens to pool money for independent ads about ballot issues. Paul also served as co-counsel in SpeechNow.org v. FEC, which the Congressional Research Service described as representing one of "the most fundamental changes to campaign finance law in decades."

Listen or Download:

• Duration: 59:19
• Download: Standard MP3 File (20.4 MB)

Topics:

• Common federal and state campaign finance laws
• The history of campaign finance laws
• Breadth in decisions, and my case
• The results of campaign finance laws
• Private enforcement of campaign finance laws
• The value of "transparency" and "accountability" in elections
• Money as a form of speech
• Protections for corporate speech
• Privacy and campaign contributions
• The irrelevance of funding to campaigns
• SuperPACS
• Individuals versus groups in campaign finance
• The Institute for Justice's current cases and strategy
• Truly supporting the First Amendment
• How to effectively defend free speech

Relevant Links:

• Institute for Justice
• Wikipedia: Benjamin Tillman
• Oral Argument in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Tags:

Activism, Campaign Finance, Elections, Free Speech, Government, Law, Politics, Rights

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