Hate Speech on Campus and the First Amendment: Can They Be Reconciled?

Abstract

The author of this article takes a look at the conference “Hate Speech on Campus and the First Amendment — Can They Be Reconciled?” which was jointly sponsored by The Center for First Amendment Rights, Inc. and the University of Connecticut School of Law. The focus of this conference was the contentious debate over the constitutional status of hate speech and the efforts of colleges and universities to impose official sanctions on such speech.

The purpose of the conference was to explore the legal and practical ramifications of efforts to curb or penalize “hate speech” on college campuses. This article summarizes and analyzes the views presented by the participants and the experiences they recounted. The author contributes to the debate concerning the broader question of whether campus hate speech codes are either desirable or constitutional.

Keywords: hate speech codes, college and university campuses, first amendment, freedom of speech