Clay Calvert Comments on the Senate Impeachment Trial of Former President Trump

Clay Calvert, director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, is quoted in “It’s Not a Typical Trial. Lawyers in the Trump Impeachment Trial to Argue Big Constitutional Questions” published in The Washington Post on Feb. 8.

The article focuses on the Senate impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump and the two constitutional questions that have arisen including Trump’s First Amendment defense and the legality of putting a former president on trial.

According to Calvert, “Yes, he used the word fight, but he’d say he didn’t use it in a physical sense. It was more implied than explicit. He’d claim he was using that in a fight for your rights situation. It was politically and symbolically wise for Trump to cite the First Amendment defense in part because many conservatives believe free speech is under attack by social media platforms. But ultimately, the defense will have little to no practical effect on the outcome of the impeachment trial because senators are not bound by Supreme Court precedent.”

Posted: February 9, 2021
Category: College News, Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project News
Tagged as: Clay Calvert, The Washington Post