The Most Recent Term of SCOTUS (30 CLE Minutes)

David Hudson, Esq., Professor at Belmont University College of Law

Including major cases concerning voting rights, election law, environmental protections and the constitutionality of affirmative action, the high court has completed its’ first full term with a conservative supermajority.  It also marks the conclusion of Justice Stephen Breyer’s 30 years of service.  The Supreme Courts’ most recent term marks the end of an era when dividing lines still met to reach consensus; it was not ideologically predictable.

First Amendment Principles and Attorneys Speaking to the Press (30 CLE Ethics Minutes)

David Hudson, Esq., Professor at Belmont University College of Law

Lawyers do not forfeit all their free-speech rights as members of a profession, but their speech rights are limited in many ways.  Rules of professional conduct adopted by the supreme courts in each state, for example, prohibit lawyers from making false statements about judges, writing legal papers that are deemed ‘frivolous,’ engaging in speech that disrupts the tribunal or engaging in direct, face-to-face solicitation of prospective clients, with a few exceptions.  Attorneys are not simply advocates on behalf of their clients; they are also an officer of the court.  This means that lawyers may be limited in making statements to the press.

Source:  https://mtsu.edu/first-amendement/article/2001/attorney-speech