Fayetteville Technical Community College will host a public event that explores the limits of the First Amendment at 1 pm on Tuesday, March 11, in the Multipurpose Room in the Tony Rand Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.
The Living Law Project will look at Elonis v. United States, a legal case in which a Pennsylvania man convicted of communicating violent threats on social media claimed he had simply been exercising his First Amendment rights by posting rap lyrics he had composed. Anthony Elonis argued that his words were not intended as threats.
The event will begin with a short film dramatizing the case and be followed by a panel discussion featuring local legal and communications experts. The panelists are James F. Ammons, Jr., Senior Resident Superior Court Judge of the 14th Judicial District; Fayetteville lawyers David T. Courie, Sr., and Taylor G. McCallman; Larry Vick, a retired member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps; and Erica N. Hilton, assistant professor of communication and media at Methodist University.
Audience members are invited to participate in a Q&A with panelists following the presentation.
This is the third annual Living Law Project event presented by FTCC in partnership with the Cumberland County Public Library. The project examines notable court cases from the U.S. justice system to encourage community discussion and promote collaborative learning. Previously, the project explored Gonzales v. Raich, a case about the legality of medical marijuana, and Miranda v. Arizona, the landmark case that established the constitutional rights of people being arrested.
Free hot dogs and potato chips will be served before the event.
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