CALL FOR PAPERS: Federalism, Social Media, and Free Speech Albany Government Law Review
In the face of inaction at the national level, state actors have ventured into areas with profound potential impacts on the future of digital media, free speech, the internet, and mobile technologies. Some states have passed legislation to protect digital privacy, while others have sought to prohibit what is perceived as discriminatory content moderation. Some have sought to ban popular apps, like Tik Tok, while others have sought to bring legal action that comes squarely up against the protections afforded platform companies from liability under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act. In each instance, states are pushing up against the boundaries of, and testing the reach of their powers against, the First Amendment’s free speech protections and the potential preemptive effect of federal laws. As part of the hybrid symposium, Federalism, Social Media, and Free Speech, to be held in early March 2024, the Albany Government Law Review (GLR) invites legal scholars to consider submitting an abstract or full manuscript to the GLR for consideration by the journal for publication in a symposium issue on this topic.
GLR is seeking articles and presentations from diverse scholars that examine the boundaries of free-speech protections at the state level. If interested in participating in this symposium by contributing your scholarly work on this topic, please send an abstract or paragraph containing a summary of your proposed submission by October 1, 2023. Please reach out to GLR’s Symposium Editor, Paige DeCecco, via email at pdececco@albanylaw.edu with any questions or to submit paper and/or presentation topics. Because the planned symposium will operate in a hybrid format, with both remote and in-person sessions, contributors will have the opportunity to choose the format that is most convenient for them to present their work.
Topics for articles or presentations may include, but are not limited to the following:
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States’ efforts to protect digital privacy;
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State-level legislation to address perceived discriminatory content moderation;
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The relationship between state executive, legislative, and administrative actions and Section 230 of the
federal Communications Decency Act;
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States’ efforts to address foreign affairs and national security in the regulation of social media companies;
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State bans on social media apps; and
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The interplay between federal preemption and state efforts to regulate social media.
The GLR will accept both shorter essays and more traditional law review articles that are longer in length. Ultimately, essay submissions should be between 7,000 – 10,000 words, and article submissions can be up to 25,000 words. If your proposal submission is accepted, we ask contributors to submit a final and complete submission by February 1, 2024.
About the Albany Government Law Review:
GLR is a student-edited law review, publishing articles on a variety of issues relating to legal aspects of government and public policy. Its strong connection to Albany Law School’s nationally recognized Government Law Center and our location in the state capital provides the unique opportunity to publish critical and analytical articles written by leading scholars and academics on significant government topics. In addition to serving as an academic forum for legal scholarship, GLR is designed to be an effective research tool for practicing lawyers and students.