If Wisconsin adopts a specific definition of antisemitism — as proposed in a bill recently passed by the state Legislature — the change could collide with First Amendment rights, said Howard Schweber, who studies free speech and constitutional law.
The definition wouldn’t necessarily violate the First Amendment, he said. But issues could “easily arise” if the definition is put to use, said Schweber, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an affiliate faculty member in the Law School.