I have probably referred to Thomas I. Emerson’s “Toward a General Theory of the First Amendment” more often than any other article. Emerson’s theory – which covers the values served by the First Amendment, the problems with maintaining a system of freedom of expression, the role of law and legal institutions in this effort, and the formulation of legal doctrine – remains remarkably apt as a framework for analyzing freedom of expression issues, despite the passage of more than half a century since its publication. Emerson identified as a key threat to freedom of expression the tendency of the powerful in society to suppress opposition. He wrote:

中文翻译：

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艾默生（Emerson），《托马斯一世（Thomas I.）：对第一修正案的通论》，耶鲁大学LJ 877，72（1963）

我可能比其他任何文章都更经常提到托马斯·爱默生（Thomas I. Emerson）的“迈向第一修正案的通论”。艾默生的理论（涵盖第一修正案所服务的价值，维护言论自由系统的问题，法律和法律制度在此过程中的作用以及法律教义的制定）仍然非常适合作为分析框架尽管自出版以来已经过去了半个多世纪，但表达自由仍然是个问题。艾默生认为，言论自由的主要威胁是社会中强大的人压制反对派的趋势。他写了：