Aug 18, 2021
Whitney v. California’s concurrence is read by Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and the majority opinion is read by Barrett Fife, a rising junior at William & Mary University.
Legal Question: Whether California’s criminal syndicalism law that made it a crime to defend, advocate, or establish an organization committed to violent means of effecting government change violated the First Amendment.
Action: The Court found that the act was constitutional and upheld Whitney’s conviction.
Mr. Justice Sanford delivered the opinion of the Court., at 00:59
Mr. Justice Brandeis, concurring., at 27:30
This opinion’s citations have been edited down for ease of listening. For more information, visit our explanation.
For more on Whitney v. California, visit FIRE’s First Amendment Library.
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