17 Floyd Abrams Quotes for You to Enjoy

Floyd Abrams

American Lawyer

Good Important Law People Think You

Related authors: Asa Hutchinson Clarence Darrow James Carville Judy Sheindlin Kamala Harris Ralph Nader Robert Green Ingersoll William Jennings Bryan

CBS fought very hard on this because it believed and believes that there's a principle at stake here. The principle is that Dan Rather doesn't work for the police, and that people that speak to Dan Rather understand that he's a journalist and not a police agent. Floyd Abrams

My role in it was not as central as it was in some of the later cases considering I was younger then and I was playing a role of co-counsel on the case. Floyd Abrams

Later Considering Some Case Cases Role Central Younger Then Playing

The government would be able to go to court with respect to newspaper articles, broadcast pieces and the like that they thought were bad or harmful or even against the government and try to block them. Floyd Abrams

It is within the last quarter century or thirty years. And a lot of that law has turned out to be very, very protective of the press and the public's right to know. Floyd Abrams

Law Thirty Press Out Know Protective Within Quarter Quarter Century Years Lot Very Public Century Turned Right Last

I think we have some serious problems now, but, if you look back over the last thirty or forty years that my book deals with, I think we are in better shape now than we would have been if all of those cases had not come down. Floyd Abrams

You Book Better Problems Down Think Thirty Back Those Would Some Cases Shape Better Shape Had Over Come Look Deals Been Years Than Forty Forty Years Serious Now Last

I really try at least to come back and answer the question as to whether that was really the best way to do that and was I really thinking straight and how did my opponents behave and how did the judges behave was needed. Floyd Abrams

Best Try Thinking Back Way Best Way Come Judges Answer How Least Opponents Question Behave Did Whether Straight Really Needed

There are some circumstances in which the First Amendment interest comes up against another interest that is really important and in which we have to make a decision in a particular case as to which is more important. Floyd Abrams

Decision First Important Circumstances Some Case More First Amendment Particular Make Another Up Amendment Which Interest Against Really

I try to do that in this book without preaching - to try to do as you just said that you really have to defend the First Amendment rights of everybody. Floyd Abrams

You Rights Book Try First Preaching Everybody First Amendment First Amendment Rights Without Said Amendment Amendment Rights Just Really Defend

CBS exhausted the Texas courts. They went from the trial court to the intermediate court to the highest court. Floyd Abrams

Exhausted Trial Highest Court Courts Texas Intermediate

I think that the very fact that CBS fought and fought and fought in Texas, in New York. Floyd Abrams

Think Fact New Texas Very York New York Fought

If the word gets out, if the perception exists that by speaking to a CBS journalist you are, therefore, inevitably, immediately speaking to the police, I don't think there's any doubt but that people won't talk. And, therefore, the public won't learn. Floyd Abrams

You People Police Word Perception Journalist Doubt Think Immediately Out Talk Learn Inevitably Exists Gets Any Public Speaking Therefore

The question at the end of the day was, the courts having found there was no defense, a producer about to go to jail, should CBS in effect tell the producer go to jail even though there is no law at all that we can use to get you out of jail? Floyd Abrams

This is going right to the police. So, it's a very dangerous precedent. Floyd Abrams

Dangerous Police Very Precedent Going Right

Were this not Texas, were there not a state where there were no protections at all and where the law was clear on that, I think CBS and Mary Mapes and Dan Rather and all of us had a very good chance of winning. So this is an ongoing battle about an issue of principle. Floyd Abrams

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