Senators debate free speech on college campuses
Ted S. Warren / AP
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the "assault on the First Amendment" on campuses, and students and academics continued this conversation.
Why it matters: The Supreme Court unanimously concluded yesterday that there is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment, but the debate continues on college campuses across the country, evidenced by this quote from Ted Cruz: "The Ku Klux Klan are a bunch of racist, bigoted thugs that have a right to express their views."
What they're saying: Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Dr. Fanta Aw, an American University administrator, both stressed that speech that threatens violence is equivalent to violence itself. And Sen. Dick Durbin said speech that is "offensive" should not be disallowed, but speech that is "menacing" should.