The fallout continues after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.  With the suspect now in custody, attention has turned to the public’s reactions to the incident.  There have been a host of instances in which employees in various industries have been fired over comments they have made about the assassination.  In addition, the future of the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! is unclear after comments the host made on his show.  All of this puts the topic of free speech and the first amendment of the U.S. constitution as a whole under the spotlight. 

Dr. Kent Redfield is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois-Springfield.  He says the first amendment is meant to protect people from the federal government limiting speech, but private employers have more discretion.  

As for how the federal government handles speech, hate speech is considered protected by the first amendment, given how the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on notable cases.

Late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the ABC network tonight.  ABC had suspended its production indefinitely last week.  The move came after comments Kimmel made on the show about the assassination, threats by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to take action against ABC and its stations’ owners, and the decision by some of said owners to pull the show from their lineups.  Dr. Redfield says the fact that employment contracts are involved adds yet another layer of complexity. 

Despite ABC’s decision to begin producing the show again, its availability on affiliate stations is subject to those stations’ decisions on whether to air it.  Before ABC’s initial suspension of production of the show, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced they would not air it on their ABC affiliates.  The two companies own a subset of the network’s affiliates in Illinois. 

In other developments, President Donald Trump has announced it will deploy the National Guard into Memphis, Tennessee.  The move mirrors similar efforts in the nation’s capital and Chicago.  Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, supports the move.  Dr. Redfield believes this collaboration is likely the reason the administration pivoted to Memphis. 

More information on UIS’s political science program is available at www.uis.edu/spia.

Dr. Kent Redfield appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.