When the State Speaks, What Should It Say: How Democracies Can Protect Expression and Promote Equality

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How should a liberal democracy respond to hate groups and others that oppose the ideal of free and equal citizenship The democratic state faces the hard choice of either protecting the rights of hate groups and allowing their views to spread, or banning their views and violating citizens' rights to freedoms of expression, association, and religion

Reviews

"[T]his book's argument is very strong, and its attention to anticipating and rebutting objections is both exceptional and laudable. When the State Speaks is likely to become the standard political-liberal treatise on the ways in which a democratic state should treat inegalitarian viewpoints--no small achievement given the persistence and quality of debates in this area."--Andrew Sabl, Perspectives on Politics "This stimulating and carefully argued book makes a substantial contribution to the debate over how liberal states should respond to illiberal groups within their borders. The topic is timely and important, and even readers who disagree with Corey Brettschneider's positions will find that his arguments repay close attention."--David McCabe, Political Science Quarterly "This is a really good book. Brettschneider's When the State Speaks is both provocative and persuasive, resolving a stubborn conflict within democratic theory in a way many will initially reject, but which he argues for so effectively that, by the end, the controversial appears the commonsensical... [T]his is a useful book, clearly written and well-argued. It is a great addition to political theory."--Sarah Conly, Res Publica "I strongly recommend this book. It deserves serious reflection and critical discussion."--John A. Dick, Ethical Perspectives "Brettschneider's [book] ... is a carefully argued and coherent defense of the American approach, a defense more thoughtful, more internally consistent, and more connected with the relevant philosophical literature than will ever plausibly be located in a judicial opinion. His connection of issues about government speech with the political theory literature on neutrality is innovative, analytically deep, and careful, and his discussion of free speech theory and doctrine, while less innovative, is nevertheless rigorous, accurate, and well aimed at exactly the target of his interest."--Frederick Schauer, Political Theory

Author Bio

Corey Brettschneider is associate professor of political science and associate professor, by courtesy, of philosophy at Brown University. He is the author of Democratic Rights: The Substance of Self-Government (Princeton).