Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“The framers wrote the First Amendment to codify negative rights. That is, the First Amendment recognizes the existence of the freedom of speech for every person, and it negates the ability and the power of Congress – and after the ratification of the 14th Amendment, of all governments – to infringe upon it. The First Amendment does not command Congress to grant the freedom of speech (it is not Congress’[s] to grant); rather, it commands that Congress shall not interfere with it. The Bill of Rights guarantees negative rights. Their essence is not grants of liberty. Their essence is restraints on the government from interfering with preexisting liberty. I offer this brief understanding of the freedom of speech in our constitutional government as an introduction to a discussion of the dangers of government exercising free speech. We know that all persons have the freedom of speech. But what about the government?” (10/17/24)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2024/10/16/who-cares-what-the-government-thinks/