Freedom of association is the bedrock of all other liberties granted by the U.S. Constitution, according to a Duquesne University political scientist who will speak at UW-Stout’s Constitution Day observance on Tuesday (Sept. 17).
Luke C. Sheahan, an assistant professor of political science at the Pittsburgh school, will speak on “Freedom of Association: The First Liberty” from 4 to 5:30 p.m., in the Northwoods Room of the Memorial Student Center. Constitution Day marks the signing of the Constitution in 1787 in Philadelphia.
The event, sponsored by UW-Stout’s Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation (CSII), is free and open to the public. Parking in many of the university lots is free after 4 p.m.
Sheahan will discuss freedom of association and how it relates to other First Amendment rights. He maintains that freedom of religion, speech and press can be suppressed if the right to associate is restricted.
“But does the Supreme Court realize this?” he asks.
Sheahan also is a nonresident scholar at the Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tuesday’s discussion will also include Tim Shiell, CSII director; and Elizabeth Buchanan, director of the UW-Stout Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and director of the Center for Applied Ethics.
Constitution Day (formally known as Constitution and Citizenship Day) was created by federal legislation in 2004. The legislation requires all educational institutions receiving federal funds to provide programming on the Constitution on that day.
CSII also has scheduled a number of upcoming speakers and discussions. These include Tuesday, Sept. 24, for Banned Books Week; Tuesday, Oct. 1, for a Civil and Economic Liberty Workshop; and Tuesday, Oct. 8, for a Controversial Art on Campus Workshop.
The Center’s annual Free Speech Week events, with a variety of speakers and discussions, will be held from Oct. 21-24.
Note: an article on UW-Eau Claire’s Constitution Day program appears on the CVPost‘s home page directly below this one.