Could using your cell phone to capture images of police officers on the job land you in jail? Depending on where you live, the answer could be yes. Several state legislatures are proposing laws to punish individuals who record police or use cameras during demonstrations. But six federal appeals courts have recognized a First Amendment right to record as essential to uncovering abuses of power and keeping public officials accountable to the public. The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to take up a case. In this panel discussion, First Amendment experts will weigh in on the right to record police officers doing their job in public and any considerations that might limit that right.
PANELISTS
- Stephen D. Solomon, Marjorie Deane Professor of Journalism and the Director of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University
- David Hudson, Jr., Visiting Associate Professor of Legal Practice, Belmont University
- Moderator: Julie K. Roosa, J.D., First Amendment specialist, Iowa State University, adjunct assistant professor, Greenlee School of Journalism.
Friday, April 15, 10 – 10:50 a.m., virtual via Zoom
BIOGRAPHIES
Stephen D. Solomon is Marjorie Deane Professor of Journalism and Director of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, where he teaches First Amendment law. He is founding editor of First Amendment Watch, which covers current conflicts over freedom of expression and provides legal and historical context. He is author of Revolutionary Dissent: How the Founding Generation Created the Freedom of Speech.
He has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Fortune, and other major publications and has earned several national journalism awards. Solomon holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of Ellery’s Protest and the coauthor of Building 6: The Tragedy at Bridesburg. Read more about Stephen here.
David L. Hudson, Jr., a Visiting Associate Professor of Legal Practice, teaches Legal Information and Communication at Belmont. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of more than 40 books. For much of his career, he has worked on First Amendment issues. He serves as a Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and a First Amendment Fellow for the Freedom Forum Institute. For 17 years, he was an attorney and scholar at the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Hudson has taught classes at Vanderbilt Law School and the Nashville School of Law. In June 2018, the Nashville School of Law awarded him its Distinguished Faculty Award. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. Hudson also is a licensed boxing judge and has judged a dozen world title bouts.
Julie K. Roosa is an adjunct assistant professor and the First Amendment Specialist at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. Her classes include First Amendment law, media law and principles of journalism. She chairs the First Amendment Committee, which coordinates events throughout the year for the Greenlee School’s First Amendment Series. The most prominent event in the series is ISU’s annual First Amendment Days celebration, a nationally recognized event since 2002. Roosa serves as a resource on legal issues related to freedom of speech and press. She also provides outreach and training on First Amendment topics to the campus and community. She earned her law degree from Drake University Law School, where she also earned a master’s degree in mass communication. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Iowa State University. She is a member of the Iowa Bar.