Free speech vs. compelled speech

The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of professor Nicholas Meriwether in Meriwether v. The Trustees of Shawnee State University recently. Circuit Judge Amul Thapar wrote that not only had Meriwether's First Amendment rights been violated, but his religious rights as well in the free exercise clause.

It is one lawsuit that has been watched as it relates to "compelled speech." Most Americans are probably oblivious to the term, but compelled speech has been hotly debated not only in the U.S., but also in Canada over the last couple of years because for the first time in common law...