Confessions of a Free Speech Lawyer

Rodney A. Smolla is Dean and Professor of Law at the Delaware Law School of Widener University and is the author of numerous books, including The Constitution Goes to College, Deliberate Intent, and Jerry Falwell v. Larry Flynt. He is a nationally known scholar and writer and has presented oral argument in state and federal courts across the country.

• 1. A Call from the Task Force2. The Charleston Massacre3. Becoming Richard Spencer4. Reverend Edwards5. The Charlottesville Monuments6. Blut und Boden7. Mr. Jefferson's University8. Kessler v. Bellamy9. The Monuments Debate10. Competing Conceptions of Free Speech11. May Days12. Cue the Klan—Stage Right13. The Rise of the Marketplace14. Cue the Counterprotesters—Stage Left15. A Rolling Stone Gathers No Facts16. The Marketplace Doubles Down17. The Day of the Clan18. When Speech Advances Civil Rights19. Duke and the Desciples20. The Russian Connection21. A Call to Conscience22. Preparations23. The Day to the Cross24. The Idea of the University25. Heckler's Veto26. Channels of Communication27. Rednecks and Saint Paul28. The Lawn and the Rotunda29. Bloodshed30. Aftermath

It's hard to imagine a mayor or police chief who—in planning for the arrival of controversial figures—wouldn't profit from Smolla's account of the cascade of missteps in Charlottesville.(Kirkus Reviews) Smolla's book is a remarkable examination of the intersection of history, law, speech, violence, and hate. It may be the definitive work on what can be wrought by hate speech and, in the face of that, why free speech remains important.(Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly)