Civil Civics Summer 2025 Series: "Who's on First?": What's Up with the Freedom of Petition?

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Program Type:

Discussion

Age Group:

Teens, Adults, Adults 21+

Program Description

Event Details

Discussion

Talk about a topic with community members and experts.

The last freedom set out in the First Amendment is the freedom to petition the government. 

This right has been debated less than the others, and isn't as well known. However, it has been pivotal to some of the big civil rights issues that have changed American society. The fight to abolish slavery. The fight to give women the right to vote. The fight for civil rights. The fight for marriage equality. The fight for your right to party. (OK, maybe not that last one.)

These days, there's an army of lobbyists in Washington petitioning for their pet causes -- often directly to their pet lawmakers and justices. But where do we draw the line between petitioning and bribing? Does Joe Citizen have as much of an opportunity to petition the government as Jane Big Pharma? Is there something we need to do to level the playing field? If so, what? And how?