The Supreme Court has emphasized that expressive liberties require 'breathing space' in which to thrive. At a minimum, speakers need places in which to assemble, speak, and petition government. This book is a comprehensive examination of First Amendment rights in public places. It shows that the literal ground beneath speakers' feet has been steadily eroding, from personal spaces to college campuses and to once vast and important inscribed places, such as public parks and public squares. Through the study of 'expressive topography', this book considers a variety of contemporary speech contests including restrictions on abortion clinic sidewalk counselors, protests at military funerals, and restrictions on assembly and speech at political conventions. Countering or reversing these forces will require a focused and sustained effort by public officials, courts, and, of course, the people themselves.

"Professor Timothy Zick (William & Mary College of Law) has written a superb new book, Speech Out of Doors: Preserving First Amendment Liberties in Public Places (Cambridge, 2008)....his book raises interesting and important free speech issues involving speech in various places where people commonly gather..."
--Daniel J. Solove, Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School, Concurring Opinions

"In this multidisciplinary examination of the past, present, and future of public expression, Professor Timothy Zick “identifie[s], describe[s], and examine[s]” different kinds of places “with reference to the manner in which speech and spatiality intersect”..."
--Harvard Law Review

"...This is a well-written text, making an important argument about vital constitutional guarantee...SPEECH OUT OF DOORS makes the simple claim that we have squandered a great resource, and it is now time to reverse course."
--The Law and Politics Book Review, Jerome O'Callaghan, Associate Dean, Arts and Sciences, State University at Cortland