Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom of the Press in New York Times v. Sullivan, via the Library of Congress
Thursday, September 14, 2023
3:00 - 4:30 pm
Online Event
University of Buffalo School of Law Professor Samantha Barbas will provide a lecture that discusses the roots of the U.S. Supreme Court’s New York Times v. Sullivan decision, which created the “actual malice” standard that a public official must prove in a successful suit for defamation. Professor Barbas’ lecture will focus on describing the origins of the New York Times v. Sullivan decision in the context of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
Constitution Day 2023, via the League of Women Voters of Maryland
Monday, September 18, 2023
10:30 am - 1:30 pm
University of Maryland Law School
Every year in September the League partners with the University of Maryland Law school to celebrate our nation's Constitution. The day is filled with scholarly discussion, socialization, and light refreshments.
Constitution Day Dialogue: Affirming Our Commitment to Diversity and Democracy, via the Maryland Democracy Initiative
Monday, September 18, 2023
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Prince George's Room, Adele H. Stamp Student Union
Join fellow Terps for an afternoon of dialogue about the recent Supreme Court decisions relating to race-conscious considerations for higher education admissions. The Maryland Democracy Initiative invites you to engage in discussion about how we can best move forward to affirm and ensure the University of Maryland attracts, supports, serves, and prepares all Maryland students for life, work, and participation in our shared democracy.
Registration is required for this event. It is open to UMD students, faculty, staff, and alumni (only). Register via the link above.
Creating the U.S.: The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, via the Library of Congress
Recurring event; see https://www.loc.gov/events/ for specific dates.
Thomas Jefferson Building - Great Hall - 2nd Floor (LJ200-E)
10 1st Street SE, Washington, DC 20540
America’s search for a plan of national government was a slow, difficult process. Compromise, cooperation, and creativity were required as the Americans moved from being colonials in a patriarchal monarchy to citizen-leaders in a representative republic of federal states. Creating the United States reproduces key documents from the Library’s collections that represent the late eighteenth-century process of crafting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Special Event: Constitution Day, via Colonial Williamsburg
Sunday, September 17, 2023
6:00 - 7:30 PM
101 Visitor Center Drive
Williamsburg, VA 23185
Colonial Williamsburg celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution with a free event, "To Support and Defend," on the lawn in front of the Art Museums. Through music and the spoken word, the framework of our nation's government and the cherished founding document will be honored on its 236th anniversary. The program features a combined ensemble of members of the USAF Heritage of America Band, the USA Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Band, the US Fleet Forces Band, and the Marine Detachment Navy School of Music. In addition, the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums will perform. You may wish to bring a lawn chair.
Thomas Jefferson's Library, via the Library of Congress
Recurring event; see https://www.loc.gov/events/ for specific dates.
Thomas Jefferson Building - Southwest Pavilion
10 1st Street SE, Washington, DC 20540
Through a generous grant from Jerry and Gene Jones, the Library of Congress is attempting to reassemble Jefferson's library as it was sold to Congress. Although the broad scope of Jefferson's library was a cause for criticism of the purchase, Jefferson extolled the virtue of its broad sweep and established the principle of acquisition for the Library of Congress: “there is in fact no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.” Proclaiming that “I cannot live without books,” Jefferson began a second collection of several thousand books, which was sold at auction in 1829 to help satisfy his creditors.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to enter the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building and experience the exhibition, each visit must apply for and receive one of a limited number of free timed entry passes. For information on reserving tickets, visit loc.gov/visit, where visitors can review “Know Before You Go” guidelines and reserve their free passes. Each visitor must have a printed paper pass or a digital copy of the pass available on a mobile device for entry. All visitors, regardless of age, must have a timed pass for entry, and each visitor will be able to reserve up to (6) passes. Passes will be released on a rolling, 30-day basis, so for visitors planning to visit within the next month, please visit the reservation site for availability.
Image of the main reading room in the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, from the Library of Congress website.