The University of Colorado Law School is pleased to announce that Professor Helen Norton will deliver the 45th annual Austin W. Scott Jr. Lecture. Norton will speak on "The Government’s Speech and the Constitution" on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m. in Wittemyer Courtroom. The Scott Lecture is presented annually by a member of the faculty engaged in a significant scholarly project selected by the dean.
Drawing on her new book, The Government’s Speech and the Constitution, published by Cambridge University Press, Norton will discuss the uses and abuses of the government’s expressive powers through the lens of constitutional law.
Governments must speak in order to govern, and so governments have been speaking for as long as there have been governments--from early proclamations and simple pamphlets, to the electronic media of radio and television, and ultimately to today’s digital age, Norton explains. When does the speech of this unusually powerful speaker violate our constitutional rights and liberties? And under what circumstances does the Constitution prohibit our government from lying to us? Norton will discuss how the government’s speech has changed the world for better and for worse, and why the government’s speech deserves our attention—and at times our concern.
This event is approved for one general CLE credit.
When: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Wittemyer Courtroom, University of Colorado Law School
Cost: Free
Registration is not required to attend the lecture.
If you have any questions about this event, please contact lawevents@colorado.edu or (303) 492-8048.
The Austin W. Scott Jr. lecture is named for Austin Scott, a member of the law school faculty for 20 years. He was a beloved teacher as well as a prolific writer. His scholarly work was in the fields of criminal law and procedure. In 1973, former Colorado Law Dean Don W. Sears established the lecture series in his memory. Each year, the dean of the law school selects a member of the faculty engaged in a significant scholarly project to lecture on his or her research.
Learn more about the Austin W. Scott Jr. Lecture.
More about Helen Norton
Professor Helen Norton, who holds the Ira C. Rothgerber Jr. Chair in Constitutional Law, focuses her teaching and scholarship on constitutional and civil rights law. Before entering academia, she served as deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Clinton administration. Her constitutional law scholarship has appeared in the Duke Law Journal, Northwestern University Law Review, Stanford Law Review Online, and the Supreme Court Review, among other journals.