Dahlia Lithwick, an award-winning journalist, writer, and lawyer, is speaking at Florida Atlantic University on Sept. 15 in celebration of Constitution Day. Her goal is to educate the community about Supreme Court decisions, such as Roe v. Wade and the separation of church and state, all of which impact First Amendment freedoms.

FAU students, faculty, and staff can attend the event at the Osher Lifelong Learning Auditorium for free with their FAU ID. The first 200 tickets claimed will come with a copy of Lithwick’s book “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America,” which attendees will have the opportunity to get signed at the event. FAU students, faculty, and staff can get tickets at www.fauevents.com, and members of the public can get tickets for $25 by making an account.

Director of the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies (SCMS), Carol Mills, believes Lithwick will help continue the tradition of the SCMS selecting journalists who are knowledgeable on the issues of freedom of the press. The school is responsible for selecting the keynote speaker, and for this year, the school chose Lithwick.

“Although students may enter college thinking primarily about their career trajectory, they should also be preparing to be civically engaged citizens in a democratic society,” Mills said. “Events like Constitution Day, and the Breezeway Dialogue Series, help all students become more aware of the key issues and concerns that shape our world.” 

Lithwick is a senior editor at Slate, where she has been writing since 1999 and has also been published by The New York Times, Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and Commentary. She is also the host of “Amicus,” Slate’s award-winning biweekly podcast about the law and the Supreme Court. She also frequently appears as a commentator on MSNBC.

“Dahlia Lithwick is a perfect person [for this event], I would say because she is one of the foremost journalists and commentators covering the Supreme Court today,” said journalism professor and event organizer Ilene Prusher. 

She hopes that people who attend this event will have an easier time being able to connect the dots between Supreme Court decisions and how they will impact First Amendment freedoms.

“[Lithwick’s] knowledge of [law] is simply extraordinary. She has an incredible knack for being able to break down legal issues that are both understandable and engaging,” Prusher said. 

As of late, Lithwick has taken a dim view of the direction the current Supreme Court has taken in regard to personal freedoms. 

Published on Slate’s website, Lithwick says, “As the conservative supermajority that controls the Roberts court careens through the remainder of this term, take note of which types of people deserve ‘privacy’ and spiritual dignity, and the right to be let alone, and which do not.”

Lithwick and her staff did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.

Jessica Abramsky is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information on this article or others, you can reach Jessica at [email protected]