The right's First Amendment

"Not so long ago, being aggressively "pro-free speech" was as closely associated with American political liberalism. But with little notice, this political dynamic has been shaken to the core. The Right's First Amendment examines how conservatives came to adopt, and co-opt, constitutional expressive rights. Free speech on college campuses in the 1960s was seen as a guarantee for social agitators and hippies--but today, for many conservatives, it represents instead a crucial shield protecting unfashionable traditionalists from a perceived scourge of political correctness and liberal oversensitivity. Does this shift represent a genuine and principled change in conservative philosophy, or merely a results-oriented strategy? What do these changes mean for the future of First Amendment interpretation? Wayne Batchis explores these questions by surveying six decades of the conservative publication National Review. Presented alongside evolving constitutional law, Batchis reveals how this keystone of American civics now carries a much more complex and nuanced political identity."--Back cover.