Charles Fried, Professor of Law, Harvard University; Author, Modern Liberty

SPEAKER: Charles Fried, Professor of Law, Harvard University; Author, Modern Liberty

TITLE: Modern Liberty and the Limits of Government

One of the most esteemed legal scholars in the country and one of the best known conservatives at Harvard Law School, Charles Fried will discuss the controversial issues of personal freedom and government intervention. The former Solicitor General and Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice will address the dichotomy between equality and liberty, as well as the promises and pitfalls of government regulations.

Recently dubbed a "mellow conservative" and “Rockefeller Republican” by The Boston Globe, Reid reflects an ideologically moderate Republicanism that the national Republican Party has been accused of abandoning. For example, he chided the Bush administration for its attacks on the recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision, asserting that government should not legislate the lives of its gay citizens.

As Solicitor General under Reagan, Fried urged the Supreme Court to deny a constitutional right to abortion and to ban affirmative action. His recently published book, Modern Liberty and the Limits of Government, argues that equality is often an impediment to liberty and that the web of government bureaucracy and regulations both supports and threatens our personal freedoms.

This program was recorded live on December 12, 2006