State of the First Amendment Address to focus on algorithms, free expression, AI
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 13, 2025) — Scott Horn, co-director of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition and the 2024 James Madison Award winner, will deliver the State of the First Amendment Address at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the J. David Rosenberg College of Law’s Grand Courtroom. The address is titled "Algorithms of Speech: Free Expression in the Era of Al." The James Madison Award presentation will follow.
The event is free and open to the public and the University of Kentucky community.
Horn has demonstrated throughout his career a commitment to public awareness and understanding of the Kentucky open records and open meetings laws by developing and curating the Sunshine Law Library on the Kentucky Open Government Coalition’s website. Horn built the weekly-updated library, the largest freely accessible collection of Kentucky Attorney General opinions and decisions (1977-present), along with primary resources. His work has been critical for bolstering and securing public access to information and government transparency in the Commonwealth.
Horn earned his master's degree in library science and bachelor's in mathematics and Spanish from UK. He works as a software engineer for the San Diego-based biotechnology company, Illumina.
The University of Kentucky's Scripps Howard First Amendment Center, housed in the School of Journalism and Media, is the sponsor of the address, delivered annually in celebration of First Amendment rights.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.