NJSBA Democracy Series Program 1 – How to Defend Freedom of Speech in a Divisive World
Date: Jan 22, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick, and Online
Member Price: $50.00
Non-Member Price: $75.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: For All Attorneys
Keynote
- Alex Abdo
- Litigation Director, Knight First Amendment Institute, Columbia University
Moderator
- Lawrence S. Lustberg, Esq.
- Co-Chair, White Collar & Investigations Group
Gibbons P.C., Newarkco-chairs the White Collar & Investigations Group of Gibbons P.C. in Newark, New Jersey, and is a long-time Director of the firm’s John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law, which litigates historic, cutting-edge civil rights and civil liberties cases. He is a recognized authority in constitutional and criminal law and procedure, and is responsible for many seminal federal and state court decisions in a broad range of cases.
Mr. Lustberg is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, and before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey; the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York; The District of Connecticut; the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan; the Western District of Oklahoma; the Central District of Illinois; and the District of Colorado; the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits; and the United States Supreme Court. A Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a Lifetime Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, he is Past President of both the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey. Mr. Lustberg is also former Co-Chair of the Criminal Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association and has served on, and chaired, numerous court and government committees, and non-profit and philanthropic boards of directors. He has been Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for New Jersey and a member of the New Jersey State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, for which he chaired a Subcommittee on Immigration.
Mr. Lustberg has been a member of the faculties of Seton Hall, Rutgers and New York University Law Schools, and his articles have appeared in the New Jersey Law Journal and other publications. The recipient of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey’s highest honor, the Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple Memorial Award, he is the recipient of numerous other awards and accolades, including the Award of Excellence from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Roger N. Baldwin Civil Liberties Award from the ACLU of New Jersey, the Debevoise-Eakely Award and Board Service Award from Legal Services of New Jersey, the Equality Hall of Fame Award from Garden State Equality and the Partners in Hope Award from Partners for Women and Justice. In 2013 the New Jersey Law Journal named him “Lawyer of the Year” in large part for his work to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey.
Mr. Lustberg received his B.A, magna cum laude, from Harvard College, and was the recipient of the International Graduate School Fellowship at the University of Stockholm. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and clerked for the Honorable H. Lee Sarokin, United States District Judge.
(9/23)
Presenters
Few constitutional rights are as celebrated, or as contested, as the freedom of speech. From political protests and social media expression to cancel culture and workplace dialogue, First Amendment issues continue to shape public discourse and challenge legal boundaries. Both the New Jersey and U.S. Constitutions enshrine this essential right, but in an era of polarization, misinformation, and shifting cultural norms, how can lawyers effectively uphold and defend it?
Join the New Jersey State Bar Association for an insightful morning program exploring the past, present, and future of free speech in America. The seminar begins with a keynote address by Alex Abdo, Litigation Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. He will be followed by an engaging roundtable discussion featuring leading First Amendment advocates who have been on the front lines of defending this cornerstone of democracy. That insightful panel will be led by Lawrence S. Lustberg, Co-Director of the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law and Gibbons, PC.
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of current challenges to free expression, key legal developments, and practical strategies for protecting speech in a variety of contexts.
| NJ CLE: | NJ CLE information: This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 3.3 hours of total CLE credit (Full Credits Available: NJ General: 3.3). |
| NY CLE (t&nt): | NY Professional Practice Transitional: 3.0 |
| PA CLE: | PA Substantive Credit: 2.5
New: No PACLE fee is required for this program. To earn PA CLE credits, a valid PA Bar ID number must be entered into the CLE form provided after attending the program. |
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