Can Government Officials Pressure Private Companies and Universities to Restrict Speech?
· 1 h 04 min
Episode Can Government Officials Pressure Private Companies and Universities to Restrict Speech?
In this episode, Genevieve Lakier of the University of Chicago Law School and Eugene Volokh of the UCLA School of Law join to discuss the recent suspension of Jimmy Kimmel by ABC and the broader history and constitutionality of jawboning, the practice of government officials pressuring private actors to stifle speech.
Resources
• National Rifle Association v. Vullo (2024) • Murthy v. Missouri (2024) • Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan (1963) • Rust v. Sullivan (1991) • Genevieve Lakier, “Enforcing the First Amendment in an Era of Jawboning,” University of Chicago Law Review, Forthcoming 2026 • Eugene Volokh, “Jimmy Kimmel, the NRA, and the First Amendment,” Volokh Conspiracy, September 18, 2025
In our new podcast, Pursuit: The Founders’ to Guide to Happiness Jeffrey Rosen explores the founders’ lives with the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker Ken Burns shares his daily practice of self-reflection.
Listen to episodes of Pursuit on Apple Podcast and Spotify.
Stay Connected and Learn More
• Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org • Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr • Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit • Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate • Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen • Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube • Support our important work:
Donate
Links in the notes 12
- https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-842_6kg7.pdf
- https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-411_3dq3.pdf
- https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/372/58/
- https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/500/173/
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5162523
- https://reason.com/volokh/2025/09/18/jimmy-kimmel-the-nra-and-the-first-amendment/
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pursuit-the-founders-guide-to-happiness/id1836433785
- https://open.spotify.com/show/066xzUHgVx7Tj5aAaslKfD
- https://constitutioncenter.org/america-at-250
- https://constitutioncenter.org/news-debate/americas-town-hall-programs
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoAU4X6DUZSt5n6aI74Hw0A
- https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form/?svcid=tcs&formId=4e7ea4bb-4b30-44fd-b810-4df9746c0941&envid=p-kujBsRHWQkmaI9zD7QzCfg&zone=usa&_gl=1*k6rc0*_gcl_au*MTUxNDk3MDgyMy4xNzUzMTI3MDgy*_ga*MTk0Mzc2MDA5Ni4xNjY5OTkwMTUy*_ga_0H9LQSTDVE*czE3NTczNDIxNTUkbzM1MSRnMSR0MTc1NzM0MjI2MyRqNDEkbDAkaDA
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.