(Washington, D.C.) On Feb. 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. (EST) The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) will be hosting the Second Annual Seigenthaler Debate. 

The virtual evening event will provide attendees with an opportunity to hear from two First Amendment scholars on the topic - Resolved: The legal regime for defamation inaugurated by New York Times v. Sullivan is too protective of free speech over reputation”. Richard A. Epstein, the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Law and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, will deliver the pro position, and George Freeman, Executive Director at the Media Law Resource Center, will deliver the con position. Judge Thomas B. Griffith, special counsel to Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, will act as the program’s moderator.

This year's debate is in honor of the late Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Professor Marshall Breger will make a brief tribute to him as part of the program.

The Seigenthaler Debates are part of Catholic Law’s First Amendment Initiatives, the purpose of which is to provide a collegial forum that fosters debate, dialogue, and study of First Amendment issues from all sides. Named after John L. Seigenthaler, journalist, publisher, and free speech advocate.

For more information about the event, visit law.edu/debates or contact Catholic Law's Associate Dean of Bench and Bar Programs, Professor A.G. Harmon: harmon@law.edu.