FIRE CO-FOUNDER SILVERGLATE WINS MANHATTAN INSTITUTE’S ALEXANDER HAMILTON AWARD: Forgive me while I catch up with myself (protecting free speech on campus is keeping us busier than ever, lately), but I’m pleased to announce that last Monday, FIRE co-founder Harvey Silverglate received the Manhattan Institute’s 2016 Alexander Hamilton Award for his decades of civil liberties advocacy as an attorney, author, and activist. According to the Manhattan Institute, the award “was created to honor those individuals helping to foster the revitalization of our nation’s cities.”

As I said over at The Torch:

“I cannot imagine anyone more deserving of an award for service on behalf of free speech and due process, both on and off campus, than FIRE co-founder Harvey Silverglate. On a more personal note, in addition to being the person who recruited me for FIRE, he has been a mentor to me and remains one of my lifelong heroes.

Harvey’s influence permeates every aspect of FIRE’s work, from our attention to detail, to our commitment to rights that transcend political labels or concerns, to our insistence that in order for basic liberties to survive, legal remedies are essential but not sufficient. We all agree with Harvey that we must transform the culture into one that values genuine diversity of opinion and the most robust protections of freedom of speech, fair process and procedures, and freedom of conscience.”

Congratulations to Harvey for this much-deserved honor! And if you want to learn more about him from his own mouth, check out our video profile of Harvey.