June 3, 2012

Sticks, Stones—and Words, Too?

Sticks, Stones—and Words, Too? 1

Michael S. Green, AP Photo

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., protest gay marriage outside a Chicago church. In a new book, Jeremy Waldron makes the case for curbs against public expressions of offensive speech as hate crimes that intrude deeply into public life.

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Michael S. Green, AP Photo

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., protest gay marriage outside a Chicago church. In a new book, Jeremy Waldron makes the case for curbs against public expressions of offensive speech as hate crimes that intrude deeply into public life.

By Peter Monaghan

When he began his law career in New Zealand, Jeremy Waldron quickly attained the rank of barrister.

With the status of courtroom rhetorician sometimes comes the challenge of arguing the impossible—"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my client's position is hopeless, isn't it?"

And from there prevailing.

On the phone from the University of Oxford, where he is a professor of social and political theory, Waldron laughs at the suggestion that his new book from Harvard