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Legal, Policy and First Amendment Archives

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Legal, Policy and First Amendment

Legal jargon increases guilty verdicts, reduces trust in judicial system

Jurors grappling with complex legal jargon are more likely to vote guilty while coming away less confident in their own performance and the judicial system, according to a new study.

Posted: Tuesday March 24, 2026

Legal, Policy and First Amendment
Trust

Beyond Consent: Rethinking Privacy in the Digital Age

In an age where data drives much of our digital interactions, questions about privacy and consent are more pressing than ever. As tech evolves, so do the complexities of navigating the digital landscape — particularly when it comes to the collection and use of our personal data. This book chapter argues that the traditional understanding of consent — where individuals simply opt into terms and conditions — fails to protect users in the current data ecosystem.

Posted: Friday January 31, 2025

Legal, Policy and First Amendment

Study Exposes Systemic Failures in FOI Laws Meant to Protect Democracy

Freedom of Information laws were created to provide the public and journalists with the tools to pull back the curtain on government operations. New research, however, reveals corporate interests now dominate FOI requests to the detriment of petitions from the citizens and journalists they were meant to empower.

Posted: Monday December 16, 2024

Legal, Policy and First Amendment

A Power Analysis for Platforms: Expression, Equitable Governance and Participation

In this legal essay, Jasmine McNealy proposes that internet platforms have become so ubiquitous and indispensable for communication that they can easily place organizational benefits above the needs of society.

Posted: Thursday November 30, 2023

AI
Legal, Policy and First Amendment

Negligent AI Speech: Who is Responsible?

What happens when an AI platform gives out incorrect information that then causes harm to those that use it? This article examines the potential for AI liability through the lens of “duty” – whether responses from an AI platform would have a legal obligation to adhere to standards of reasonable care toward users.

Posted: Wednesday November 8, 2023

AI
Legal, Policy and First Amendment

We Need A Policy Agenda for Rural AI

Rural communities need to be invited into conversations about the potential positive and negative impacts of artificial intelligence.

Posted: Monday October 16, 2023

Legal, Policy and First Amendment

Cameras in the Court: Why Most Trump Trials Won’t be Televised

There are many reasons why all trials aren’t televised, spanning the history of case law, congressional legislation, empirical research, high-profile “circus” trials and, in some cases, fear.

Posted: Tuesday August 22, 2023

Legal, Policy and First Amendment
Trust

In Support for the Supreme Court, Partisanship Trumps Concern Around Gender Equality

Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court such as the overturning of Roe. vs Wade have raised questions about the institution’s legitimacy in the eyes of the American public. A new study looks at whether the Roe decision has affected trust in the Supreme Court.

Posted: Tuesday October 25, 2022

Legal, Policy and First Amendment

UF Core Values: Clay Calvert Shares First Amendment Insights

Clay Calvert, Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication and Director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project, discusses key issues and common misperceptions about the First Amendment, the impact of a more conservative Supreme Court, and student free speech protections.

Posted: Monday August 29, 2022

Legal, Policy and First Amendment
Trust

Student Journalism and Civic Education

One of the very few unifying propositions across all U.S. ideologies is that young people need more effective civics education. Given that widespread consensus, it might be expected that educators and policymakers would be tightly embracing the curative of scholastic journalism. But that is rarely the case.

Posted: Wednesday January 5, 2022
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