Thought And Expression In A Changing World

Monday, June 29, Windjammer Conference Center at the Best Western Hotel in South Burlington

A day-long conference for attorneys, policy-makers, private citizens, educators, and others who want to explore First Amendment free expression rights in the digital age. Attorneys can earn four hours of Continuing Legal Education credits. Registration details below; deadline is Tuesday, June 23.

Cable, satellite, wi-fi, cell phones, IM, Facebook, MySpace, e-mail, digital photos, tweeting, sexting, and cyberbullying.

How does the First Amendment fit in a world transformed by technology?

Even Benjamin Franklin — perhaps the most technologically sophisticated of all the framers of our Constitution — would likely have a hard time placing rights developed in the 18th century into the 21st century.

Yet many of the issues underlying free thought and expression are not new, even though the means of transmission are.

Join us as we explore how the Constitution is being asked to do more — to answer difficult questions defining our freedoms in a world of new technologies and myriad conflicts.

Agenda

The morning session offers an overview of First Amendment rights, and how courts have been ruling in free speech cases. Specific issues that have occurred in Vermont in the last several years will be reviewed and analyzed.

9:00 a.m.
Registration

9:30 a.m.
Welcome
* Allen Gilbert, executive director, ACLU-VT

9:45 a.m.
Recent Developments in First Amendment Law
*Dan Barrett, staff attorney, ACLU-VT
The First Amendment hasn’t stood still as the nation’s been wired, hot-spots have been
built, and friends have been invited to join Facebook accounts.

10:30 a.m.
Panel Discussion — The (local) Exercise of Free Speech
Speech and other forms of expression are vibrant and dynamic in Vermont, thanks in part
to technology as well as “edgy” youth culture. Could Burlington Telcom have censored
the Al Jazeera-English channel by deleting it from cable offerings, as some demanded?
What free speech issues were involved in the Burton Snowboard marketing campaign
that relied on images found offensive by some critics?
*Justin McCabe, attorney with Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, will present the Al Jazeera-English case.
*Catherine Crump, National ACLU First Amendment Working Group attorney, will present the Burton Snowboard case.

11:45
Break and Lunch

The afternoon session focuses on freedom in cyberspace and challenges posed by digital technologies. A new state law on “sexting” will be examined, details of a U.S. District Court case involving laptop computer searches at the border with Canada will be discussed, and the issue of cyber-bulling — and whether schools can discipline students for out-of school
misconduct — will be reviewed.

1:00 p.m.
Freedom in Cyberspace
*Catherine Crump, National ACLU First Amendment Working Group attorney
Do digital technologies make us more free or less free? Should speech and privacy protections be bent to the new realities of ubiquitous, instant forms of communication?

1:30
Panel Discussion — Approaches to Regulating Speech
Sexting
What is it and why did the Legislature outlaw it?
*Julie Kalish, attorney, Dartmouth College lecturer in writing
Border searches of laptop computer hard drives
*Dan Barrett, staff attorney, ACLU-VT
Is any digital information safe from search and seizure when traveling, especially across
an international border?
Cyber-bullying and school sanctions for out-of-school misconduct
*Bernard Lambek, attorney, partner in the law firm of Zalinger, Cameron & Lambek, P.C.
Can schools punish students for conduct that occurs outside of school but — because of
technology — may reach into the school?

3:00 p.m.
Safe trip home

Details

Where & When: Monday, June 29, 2009, Windjammer Conference Center at the Best Western Hotel , 1076 Williston Rd., South Burlington, VT

Who: The conference is designed for attorneys, citizens, community leaders, policy-makers, legislators, and educators – in short, anyone with an interest in First Amendment free expression rights in the digital age. Attorneys can earn four hours of Continuing Legal Education credits by attending the conference.

Registration: The registration deadline is Tuesday, June 23. See below for registration information.

Directions: From I-89, take Exit 14E onto Williston Road (Route 2). Turn left at the third set of traffic lights to the Windjammer Conference Center at the Best Western Hotel.
From Burlington, take Main Street, which turns into Williston Road (Route 2). Shortly after going over I- 89, turn left at the third set of traffic lights to the Windjammer Conference Center at the Best Western Hotel.

Accessibility: The ACLUF is committed to making this program accessible to all individuals regardless of disability. Please let us know of any special needs.

Registration Information

The registration deadline is Tuesday, June 23. You can register by calling the ACLU at (802) 223-6304, ext. 114; by downloading the conference brochure, completing the registration form, and returning it to us; or by e-mailing us at info@acluvt.org with the following information:

Name, firm (if an attorney), address, phone, and e-mail.

Attending as:

• Attorney (CLE rate - $135)
• Attorney, ACLU member (CLE rate - $110)
• Attorney, not an ACLU member but will join (CLE rate - $110, plus separate check of $20 made out to "ACLU-VT" for membership fee)
  
• Lay person ($35)
• Lay person, no lunch or other refreshments ($15)
  
• Student, senior, or limited income ($25)
• Student, senior, or limited income, no lunch or other refreshments ($5)

Payment

• Check coming in the mail
• To be paid at conference
  

Conference brochure