Articles on First Amendment
September 9, 2024
Can schools stop students from praying?
Praying in school is protected by the Constitution but only under certain conditions.
August 14, 2024
Americans love free speech, survey finds − until they realize everyone else has it, too
John G. Geer, Vanderbilt University and Jacob Mchangama, Vanderbilt University
Americans agree that democracy requires freedom of speech. But a large minority also thinks it’s acceptable to bar certain subjects or speakers from public debate.
August 9, 2024
Despite Donald Trump’s claims, his gag order holds up against the Constitution
While the First Amendment protects a wide range of different kinds of speech, there is no fundamental right to cause harm.
July 8, 2024
Oklahoma’s superintendent orders public schools to teach the Bible – relying on controversial views about religious freedom
State superintendent Ryan Walters has mandated that public school teachers incorporate the Bible into classroom lessons.
July 3, 2024
Supreme Court of Oklahoma says no to Catholic charter school – but this may not be the end of the boundary-pushing saga
Officials have vowed to keep fighting for permission to open the school as a charter – which would be a controversial first for the country.
July 1, 2024
Supreme Court kicks cases about tech companies’ First Amendment rights back to lower courts − but appears poised to block states from hampering online content moderation
Florida and Texas sought to prevent social media companies from deciding which posts can be promoted, demoted or blocked. The Supreme Court said the tech companies can moderate as they please.
June 26, 2024
Julian Assange is free, but curly legal questions about his case remain
Holly Cullen, The University of Western Australia
In pleading guilty to one count under the US Espionage Act as part of a plea deal, the WikiLeaks founder’s case has left some large legal concepts unresolved.
June 25, 2024
How Jefferson and Madison’s partnership – a friendship told in letters – shaped America’s separation of church and state
More than 2,000 letters between the two founders are available online. Many attest to their deep commitment to religious freedom.
June 12, 2024
Columbia Law Review article critical of Israel sparks battle between student editors and their board − highlighting fragility of academic freedom
It’s now clear that tensions in academia regarding concerns about Israel’s relationship with the Palestinian people aren’t limited to campus protests.
June 19, 2024
An American flag, a pencil sharpener − and the 10 Commandments: Louisiana’s law to mandate biblical displays in classrooms is the latest to push limits of religion in public schools
The Supreme Court’s approach toward religion in schools has been shifting, creating uncertainty about legislation such as Louisiana’s.
May 21, 2024
TikTok law threatening a ban if the app isn’t sold raises First Amendment concerns
Anupam Chander, Georgetown University and Gautam Hans, Cornell University
The law forcing TikTok to be sold or banned is meant to protect Americans from Chinese government influence and privacy intrusions. But does it undermine a bedrock American principle?
March 20, 2024
A century ago, one state tried to close religious schools − a far cry from today, with controversial plans in place for the nation’s first faith-based charter school
In 1922, Oregon voters approved an initiative to require public school for most students ages 8-16 − but it didn’t hold up in court.
March 19, 2024
Supreme Court’s questions about First Amendment cases show support for ‘free trade in ideas’
These cases have asked the justices to consider how to apply some of the most sweeping constitutional protections – those of free speech – to an extremely complex online communication environment.
March 15, 2024
Trump wouldn’t be the first presidential candidate to campaign from a prison cell
Can you run for president from a prison cell? One man did in the 1920 election and got almost a million votes.
March 5, 2024
Publishing Taylor Swift’s flight information: Is it stalking or protected free speech?
A college junior who has gained a following by sharing high-profile people’s private flight information says that he is sharing public information. Others, like Taylor Swift, say that he is stalking.
December 19, 2023
Finding objective ways to talk about religion in the classroom is tough − but the cost of not doing so is clear
Many countries wrestle with whether to include any kind of education about religion in public school lessons, and each one takes its own approach.
December 12, 2023
Why university presidents find it hard to punish advocating genocide − college free speech codes are both more and less protective than the First Amendment
University codes of conduct support their mission to educate. But it’s not easy to balance those codes with the values of free speech, as the resignation of a prominent university president shows.
December 6, 2023
Sandra Day O’Connor’s experience as a legislator guided her consensus-building work on the Supreme Court
The first female justice on the Supreme Court was also the last justice to have served as an elected official. And her contributions to the court reflected her political experience and pragmatism.
November 27, 2023
Supreme Court to consider giving First Amendment protections to social media posts
The Supreme Court will hear five cases this term that will examine the nature of online discussion spaces run by social media platforms.
October 27, 2023
Louisiana’s ‘In God We Trust’ law tests limits of religion in public schools
Does Louisiana’s requirement for public schools to post ‘In God We Trust’ in all classrooms violate the doctrine of separation of church and state? A legal scholar weighs in.
Related Topics
- Donald Trump
- Freedom of speech
- Free speech
- Public schools
- Religion and society
- Religious freedom
- SCOTUS
- Social media
- US Constitution
- US Supreme Court
Top contributors
- Charles J. Russo Joseph Panzer Chair in Education and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton
- Lynn Greenky Professor Emeritus of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Syracuse University
- Clay Calvert Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication, University of Florida
- Mark Satta Associate Professor of Philosophy and Law, Wayne State University
- Morgan Marietta Dean of Economics, Politics & History, The University of Austin
- Erica Goldberg Professor of Law, University of Dayton
- Neal H. Hutchens Professor of Higher Education, University of Kentucky
- Steven K. Green Professor of Law, Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette University
- John E. Finn Professor Emeritus of Government, Wesleyan University
- A.D. Carson Associate Professor of Hip-Hop, University of Virginia
- Eliza Bechtold Lecturer, School of Law, University of Aberdeen
- Robert A. Sedler Distinguished Professor of Law, Wayne State University
- Jane E. Kirtley Professor of Media Ethics and Law, University of Minnesota
- Frank LoMonte Director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, University of Florida
- Michael J. Socolow Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine
