Liar in a Crowded Theater, with Jeff Kosseff

Turns out you CAN shout “fire” in a crowded theater, and lots of other lies besides—unless the government meets a heavy burden, that is. The author of four books and more than 20 academic articles, First Amendment scholar and Naval Academy associate professor Jeff Kosseff makes the case for the freedom to speak freely, and even to tell lies, free (mostly) from threat of state sanction. Our discussion covers:

• The “marketplace of ideas” is better than the government at separating truth from lies.
• Why every other state and Congress should just copy-and-paste California’s anti-SLAPP statute into their code books.
• Is there a free-speech right to ChatGPT, if there’s no human speaker? Yes—there is not just a right to make statements, but also to receive them.
• Jeff was surprised at the critical reaction to his thesis that there may be a right to lie. But thankfully the courts have mostly stood by the First Amendment’s robust protections, receiving an B+/A- grade from Prof. Kosseff.

Jeff Kosseff’s biography, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter feed.

Appellate Specialist Jeff Lewis' biography, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter feed.

Appellate Specialist Tim Kowal's biography, LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, and YouTube page.

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The California Appellate Law Podcast thanks Casetext for sponsoring the podcast. Listeners receive a discount on Casetext Basic Research at casetext.com/CALP. The co-hosts, Jeff and Tim, were also invited to try Casetext’s newest technology, CoCounsel, the world’s first AI legal assistant. You can discover CoCounsel for yourself with a demo and free trial at casetext.com/CoCounsel.

Other items discussed in the episode:

• Jeff Kosseff’s book is Liar in a Crowded Theater.
• The California statute prohibiting doctors from expressing opinions contrary to official medical policy as concerning vaccines and perhaps other topics was enjoined by the district court in early 2023: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/california-law-aiming-curb-covid-misinformation-blocked-by-judge-2023-01-26/.
• Videos from this episode will be posted at Tim Kowal’s YouTube channel.