Ep. 247: Justin Amash

Throughout his career, former Congressman Justin Amash has been a
strong advocate for freedom of speech, writing that “The value of
free speech comes from encountering views that are unorthodox,
uncommon, or unaccepted…Free speech is a barren concept if people
are limited to expressing views already widely held.”


In this special live episode, filmed in front of 200+ high
schoolers attending FIRE’s Free Speech Forum at American
University in Washington, D.C., Amash takes questions from the
audience and discusses his upbringing, his political career, the
state of American politics, and how the Constitution guided his
work in Congress.


Earlier this year, Congressman Amash joined FIRE’s Advisory
Council.


Timestamps: 


00:00 Intro


03:30 Upbringing


06:21 Law school


13:15 Time in Congress


15:59 Why Amash publicly explained each of his votes


26:30 On being the first libertarian in Congress


30:57 Connection between his principles and free speech


33:10 Trump’s first impeachment


42:48 Dealing with pushback from constituents


46:03 Term limits for members of Congress?


55:25 How high schoolers can pursue a career in politics


59:45 Has there been a regression in First Amendment protections?


01:07:32 What Amash is up to now


01:08:06 Outro


Read the transcript here:
https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/so-speak-podcast-transcript-justin-amash


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