Name: Mia Sullivan
Social Justice Group: 2018-2019, Freedom of the Press
Date of Fieldwork: December 19, 2018
Name of Organization: ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Chris Ott
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did:
We spoke with Chris Ott, a lawyer for the ACLU Wisconsin (American Civil Liberties Union) who provides legal representation for journalists around the country. We inquired about his job and personal opinions about the current status of Freedom of the Press in the United States. We also discussed famous cases involving our countries laws and regulations about freedom of the press.
What I learned:
I learned that the ACLU was founded by a group of men who wanted to fight unfair taxes in the United States. They eventually started fighting for freedom of the press and making sure the government did not violate American citizens first amendment rights. The ACLU has worked on landmark cases like Loving v. Virginia the case that made inter-racial marriage legal in every state. They also worked on Brown v. Board of Education with the NAACP a case that fought to end segregation in public schools.
The ACLU deals with lots of controversial cases that they might not agree with morally but still are protected by the first amendment. One example is the case of the National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, IL in 1977. In the case, the National Socialist Party of America wanted to hold a rally in a predominantly Jewish village in Illinois. Technically they were permitted to because of the First Amendment, but many people thought that it was extremely disrespectful and inconsiderate because a lot of Holocaust survivors lived in there. But the ACLU choose to support the National Socialist Party of America in this case because they felt they were exercising their first amendment rights. It tarnished their reputation for the next few years. People did not understand that the ACLY did not agree with the Socialist Party morally but, the ACLU supports defending the first amendment rights of all Americans.
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
I learned that the ACLU supports the first amendment no matter the circumstances. The ACLU defends everyone and believes the all citizens deserve a fair defense, regardless of their personal beliefs. If you let personal beliefs get in the way you risk setting a precedent for future cases. Had the ACLU refused to represent the National Socialist Party, the case could have been used by other lawyers to deny a defense in future first amendment cases. They did not want their case to be referenced to deny people right to freedom of the speech.
