[4] A review in the journal Political Communication concluded of the author's argumentation: "His is indeed a theory fraught with possibilities both favorable and unfavorable to an expanded scope for the contents of free speech".

[3][4] The author discusses complex problems involving cyberspace communications and discourse which takes place on the Internet, and puts forth the supposition that such speech is not as easily addressed by the United States Constitution.

[3][5][8] Beyond the First Amendment is cited as a reference in the Encyclopedia of American Civil Liberties edited by Paul Finkelman,[9] and Self-Examination: The Present and Future of Librarianship by John M.

[3] In a review of the book in The Journal of Politics, Mark A. Graber of the University of Maryland pointed out how the book's author highlights areas of free speech which fall outside the jurisdiction of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and commented: This effort to highlight important free speech issues in areas that are not governed by the First Amendment offers a particularly promising avenue for political scientists interested in American constitutionalism.

[5] Fish discussed Nelson's concepts within the framework of changing viewpoints on free speech through varying mediums of communication including online fora and speech in other venues: "How to weigh these elements also figures in Nelson's consideration of the Internet with its capacity for international communications—how to weigh the intent of an Internet speaker against an unintended hostile foreign audience shielded by its own local laws or even remote, but culturally distinctive, domestic audiences for that matter".

The model must be more than a mere talking point, though, and Nelson wisely endeavors to show how the pluralist framework can be deployed as a means of resolving actual cases".

[6] Lichtman concluded by recommending the work for academic scholars: "Beyond the First Amendment is an intriguing and important contribution to the literature on free speech.