These days no one needs to be reminded, regardless of their politics, that protection of First Amendment freedom of speech is a time-honored principle in the United States. But recent controversies regarding hecklers at law-school speaker events suggests that another time-honored American tradition has been forgotten: that of principled and non-violent civil disobedience. When repeatedly voiced complaints are ignored and individual rights are perceived as being trampled by "the Establishment," principled civil disobedience of generally accepted rules and regulations may be appropriate. The heckling of speakers—speakers perceived to be representative of racist or other discriminatory views—may be one such occasion.

To refresh, at various respected law schools around the country (Yale, Stanford, and my own UC Law (nee Hastings) in San Francisco), speakers invited by a student chapter of the Federalist Society have had their remarks repeatedly interrupted or drowned out by large groups of students who vociferously oppose values that those speakers are thought to represent. Rest assured: These protesting students are normally rule-abiding, respectful law students who aspire to become part of the legal profession. They are not outsiders—they are aspiring rule-makers and enforcers. They normally sit in class day after day and listen to their professors and fellow classmates and engage in calm and intellectually curious learning discussions.