The Eighth Value of Free Expression

The eighth value of Free Expression is Protect and Dissent which means every citizen in the United States has the right to criticize the government. This value protects the First Amendment and is a very important part of Free Expression. Without the right to criticize the government how will we see change? If we didn't have the right to dissent the government then how would they enforce that law? Jail time? The USSR and Hitler just killed the people who spoke out against them which is just crazy to think about. To express further on how important this value is I thought I would show some movements and protests in the United States that wouldn't have been possible without it.

March For Our Lives

March For Our Lives is an organization that helps fight against gun violence in the United States. They often protest to politicians about inaction and for strict regulation over the gun industry. These people want universal background checks for anyone who buys or owns a gun, high-capacity magazine bans, limiting firing power on the streets, extreme risk protection orders, and to disarm all domestic abusers. The link to their website is below if interested in learning more: https://marchforourlives.com/


Equal pay for women

On Equal Pay Day women advocates for equality of pay marched to New York City Hall to protest against the wage gap. Did you know that today, black women only receive 63 cents to every dollar a man gets? They wore t-shirt that were red to symbolize being "in the red" economically. These women planned to focus on the wage gap between men and women today. According to NBC news, "City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who spoke at the City Hall rally Tuesday, compared the wage gap to a sluggish elevator: "Women get in the door on entry level salaries, but then they get on the elevator and the elevator slows down."" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/equal-pay-day-women-rally-against-wage-gap-workplace-discrimination-n742451

These movements are meant to capture the worlds and the governments attention in hopes for change. That is an important part of what this value means and it's our duty as American citizens to criticize the government and demand change.

Supreme Court brief that might get Jamal Knox released

If you don't know who Jamal Knox is, or better known for his rapper name Mayhem Mal, he is a young rapper who recently went to jail because of his lyrics from his song "F*** the Police." In this song, he specifically rapped about threatening two police officers, causing him to be in prison for up to 6 years. Recently, Famous rap artists 21 Savage, Killer Mike, Chance the Rapper, Meek Mill, and more, filed a Supreme Court brief in hopes of getting their friend out. These rappers and Jamal Knox's lawyers believe that his first amendment rights are being violated.

21 Savage (left) Jamal Knox (right)

In this brief, the friends and fellow Hip-hop artists of Knox try to explain that there is a difference between a real and blatant threat and lyrics that are common in rap songs. Many artists use music as a form of expression, allowing them to say what they want about how they're feeling emotionally. Other artists, especially hip-hop artists, use their music as a way to take a stand and speak out about politics, which is what these men were trying to say. The brief also stated that this case is "troubled and problematic" because Knox is being sentenced to prison, while other artist who use the same threatening lyrics are walking free. (Supreme Court Brief)

This case reminds me of when the hip-hop/rap group N.W.A came out with their song titled similarly as Knox's, "F*** tha Police." A very similar thing happened where the group was not allowed to perform that song or they would be arrested...so they sang the song. They were later acquitted. Another similar case that this reminds me of is one that was filed in early 1990's about the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew. They released an album titled "As Nasty As They Wanna Be", the first album to be considered "obscene" and illegal to own or sell. After being taken to the Supreme Court, the group was able to prove that their lyrics were a form of expression, making it hard for the court to disprove.

This all happened fairly recently so there is no news on what will happen to Jamal Knox but, considering what happened in the past i believe the end will be positive. It's understandable as to why older folks think these lyrics are "obscene", especially for the youths ears. But there is more to hip-hop than the swear words. Tupac had many against his lyrics as well but if you really read into his poetry and try to comprehend what messages he's relaying, then you have a better appreciation for the music.

If you believe that hip-hop is just swear words and offensive language then you should definitely check out some of Tupac's music and poetry. Heres a link where you can read some of his more popular releases : https://mypoeticside.com/poets/tupac-shakur-poems

Here is the PDF link to the Supreme Court brief for Jamal Knox that was referenced: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-949/90947/20190306152355894_11%20AM%20Final%20Knox%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf

The Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is THE topmost court system in the United States of America. On account of this, the United States government trusts this system to lead their Judicial Branch. The Supreme Court defines their mission as, "...ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution." (About the Court) The Supreme Court is composed of nine justices that are as follows : The Chief Justice John Roberts and eight other associate justices, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch. (About the Court)

There are many cases that get to the Supreme Court that they have to review, over one hundred a week. Though these justices receive about 7,000 cases a year, not all of them actually get accepted(SupremeCourtvideo). Not many people my age (from personal experience) understand how a case gets as far as the Supreme Court. After watching videos in class and doing further research I put the most prevalent ways these cases get there.

The first popular way a court case gets to the Supreme Court is because it has been appealed on account of the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals is the court system thats in position directly under the Supreme Court. The next common way is when a state court system and the person(s) involved decide that the case should be appealed. Though under these circumstances, these actions are normally dismissed from the Supreme Court except when these cases are in relation to the United States Constitution. The third and more rare way is when a case is associated with conflict between states or other situations involving ambassadors. This would only happen if the Supreme Court believes that this is under its original jurisdiction.

mkoren. "Describe how cases reach the Supreme Court." eNotes, 12 Nov. 2017, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/describe-three-broad-catagories-law-how-cases-344133. Accessed 5 Mar. 2019.

About the Supreme Court. https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/about.aspx