Apr 032007
In November 1997, the Reverend Jerry Falwell and publisher Larry Flynt appeared together at the University of Virginia School of Law as part of a conference organized by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. The conference examined the legal and cultural impact of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which the minister sued the publisher for the unauthorized use of Falwell’s name and picture in a parody of an advertisement for an alcoholic beverage. Although once bitter legal adversaries, Reverend Falwell and Mr. Flynt sat side by side as they discussed a variety of issues, including the friendship that had developed between them in the years since the Court’s decision. The discussion was moderated by noted US Supreme Court reporter Tony Mauro.
I’ve heard about the Falwell & Flynt debates, and I never took the opportunity to look them up until now; a very good debate.