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The shifting line between free speech and a criminal threat

2026-06-11 · 36 min · 13 entities

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Asserted relationships

  • → references Fearless book
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    Mary Anne Franks, professor at The George Washington Law School, and author of Fearless Speech and The Cult of the Constitution Support shows like Throughline with NP
  • → discusses Society & Culture concept
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    Feed category: Society & Culture
  • → discusses History website
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  • → discusses Documentary concept
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    Feed category: Documentary
  • → hosted by NPR company
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    Feed author/publisher: NPR

Entities found in this episode

companys 4

  • mentioned NPR company
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    Feed author/publisher: NPR
  • mentioned Law company
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    professor of Law
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    professor at The George Washington Law School
  • hosted by NPR company
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    Feed author/publisher: NPR

concepts 4

  • mentioned Society & Culture concept
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    Feed category: Society & Culture
  • mentioned Documentary concept
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    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Documentary
  • discusses Society & Culture concept
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    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Society & Culture
  • discusses Documentary concept
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    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Documentary

books 3

  • mentioned Fearless book
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    evidence rules-v5
    Mary Anne Franks, professor at The George Washington Law School, and author of Fearless Speech and The Cult of the Constitution Support shows like Throughline with NP
  • 0.72
    evidence rules-v5
    author of Fearless Speech and The Cult of the Constitution
  • references Fearless book
    0.61 · ×9
    evidence rules-v5
    Mary Anne Franks, professor at The George Washington Law School, and author of Fearless Speech and The Cult of the Constitution Support shows like Throughline with NP

websites 2

  • mentioned History website
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    Feed category: History
  • discusses History website
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    Feed category: History
Episode description as stored
Threats against public officials have become much, much more common. This includes everyone from the president of the United States to members of Congress, to state and local officials, and even civil servants like local librarians. Threats have always been a part of United States history, often manifesting in times of political turmoil or cultural tension. The internet age opened a new chapter in the U.S. making threats easier to make and harder to trace and prosecute. So what exactly is the standard for defining a criminal threat? How has it changed? And how do we balance safety and free speech in a world where the two seem increasingly at odds? On this episode of Throughline, the shifting line between protected speech and true threats. Guests: David L. Hudson, Jr., associate professor of Law at Belmont University Law School and First Amendment fellow for the Freedom Forum Mary Anne Franks, professor at The George Washington Law School, and author of Fearless Speech and The Cult of the Constitution Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy