First Amendment Law Review Symposium

The Rise of first amendment retaliation

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026

Time: To Be Announced

Location: Rizzo Center located at 150 Dubose Home Lane, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27517

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The First Amendment Law Review at the University of North Carolina School of Law is pleased to present its 2026 Volume 25 symposium topic, The Rise of First Amendment Retaliation. Our annual symposium will bring together leading scholars and practitioners to examine the expanding role of First Amendment retaliation doctrine across constitutional law.

As retaliation claims have become an increasingly prominent tool for challenging government overreach, this year’s symposium will explore a range of interconnected questions: how plaintiffs prove retaliatory intent when the government controls the evidence; how the unconstitutional conditions doctrine applies when the federal government uses funding and contracts as leverage against law firms, universities, and other institutions; and how courts should respond to chilling effects and institutional capitulation in the face of executive pressure.

The symposium will feature three moderated panels and a keynote address.

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Meet the Volume 25 Symposium Editor