Nazis In Skokie: Freedom, Community, and the First Amendment (Notre Dame Studies in Law and Contemporary Issues, Vol. One)

"In 1977, a Chicago-based group announced its plans to demonstrate in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb with a large Jewish population, where hundreds of Holocaust survivors lived. The community protested, and the issue went to court; the ACLU defended the Nazis' right to free speech. The court ruled in the Nazis' favor. According to the court, the 'content neutrality doctrine' governing First Amendment jurisprudence rendered that the Nazis' insults and vilifications were 'neutral'--not the issue, as far as the law was concerned." -- Publishers Weekly"A political, constitutional, philosophical, and sociological examination of the First Amendment issues involved in the Skokie incident in 1977.…This case study of assaultive speech is profound, yet simply and clearly written." -- Choice"Mr. Downs raises points civil libertarians must consider; his book is comprehensive, knowledgeable, fair and readable." -- The New York Times Book Review"[Downs] asks, have we strayed too far from the courts' other function: the maintenance of the community's faith in the principle that rule of law can protect their collective interests?" -- Chicago Tribune