First Amendment to the United States Constitution

The US Constitution's first page

Americans are prone to reading Constitution as scripture, says legal scholar

US politics

Regarding the Constitution as divine amounts to “constitutional fundamentalism,” according to one law professor.

Facebook, ACLU join lawsuit seeking to have ‘likes’ ruled protected form of speech

Environment

U.S. appeals court strikes down Congressional ban on political ads on public broadcasting

Global Politics

Free speech heroes and villains

Global Politics

Manning Verdict Echoes Pentagon Papers Call for First Amendment Rights

Church Leaders Take Sides on Gay Marriage Amendment in North Carolina

Over the past several years, every state in the southeast has adopted a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex couples from getting married. That is, every state except North Carolina. But that may change on May 8. That’s the day when North Carolinans will vote on a constitutional amendment known as “Amendment One,” which states that “marriage […]

Political Ads on Public Broadcasting?

Public broadcasting doesn’t have commercials. It has underwriting announcements – and few of them at that. But that could change, now that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the FCC Congress violated the First Amendment when it blocked public broadcasters from airing political advertisements.  Jeffrey Rosen, professor of Law at George Washington University, […]

Floyd Abrams on Super PACs and the Legacy of Citizens United

Nearly two years ago, a bitterly divided Supreme Court ruled that the American government could not ban political spending by corporations and labor unions during electoral campaigns. The case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, overruled important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations and dramatically altered the way campaigns are conducted.   One major […]

Supreme Court May Hear Challenge to Ban on Foreign Political Contributions

On Friday, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to hear Bluman v. the Federal Election Commission. This case specifically challenges the Federal Election Campaign Act, which “prohibits any foreign national from contributing, donating or spending funds in connection with any federal, state, or local election in the United States, either directly or indirectly.” […]

The World

Westboro Baptist Church to test free speech protections

Conflict & Justice

The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, will soon stand before the nation’s top court to argue for their constitutional right to protest outside soldiers’ funerals. In their view, American deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are God’s punishment.