Long time readers of OutKick know that above everything else, I am a First Amendment absolutist. I believe the First Amendment is our most sacred right, and I believe the marketplace of ideas — which is the natural outgrowth of our First Amendment rights — is our most important democratic asset. The marketplace of ideas is what allows all of us — left, right, independent, indifferent — to have a voice in our national debates without fear of government interference. Thanks to the marketplace of ideas, perspectives that were once minority beliefs are allowed to enter into our national discourse and potentially become majority opinions one day. Heck, the marketplace of ideas even allows us to reach the wrong conclusion as a country — i.e. Prohibition — and then later work to reverse that decision by repealing it. Our elections are the ultimate reflection of the marketplace of ideas. We engage in robust debate and then are allowed to head to the ballot boxes to voice our opinions on how we will be governed. Indeed, our First Amendment rights are a bedrock principle of American jurisprudence, protected by the courts, and long established to ensure none of us are punished […]