1st Amendment – Laws
First Amendment: Religion and ExpressionWhat is the First Amendment?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.The First Amendment Defined:The First Amendment is a part of the Bill of Rights, which are the first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution and the framework to elucidate upon the freedoms of the individual. The Bill of Rights were proposed and sent to the states by the first session of the First Congress. They were later ratified on December 15, 1791.The first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution were introduced by James Madison as a series of legislative articles and came into effect as Constitutional Amendments following the process of ratification by three-fourths of the States on December 15, 1791.Stipulations of the 1st Amendment:The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the passing or creation of any law which establishes a religious body and directly impedes an individuals right to practice whichever religion they see fit.The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the Bill of Rights and the amendment which disables an entity or individual from practicing or enforcing a religious viewpoint which infringes on the freedom of speech, the right peaceable assemble, the freedom of the press, or which prohibits the petitioning for a governmental evaluation of grievances.In its infancy, the First Amendment only applied to laws enacted by Congress; however, the following Gitlow v. New York, the Supreme Court developed that the Due Process Clause attached to the Fourteenth Amendment applies the fundamental aspects of the First Amendment to each individual state, including all local governments within those states.The Establishment clause of the First Amendment is the primary pronouncement in the Amendment, stating that Congress cannot institute a law to establish a national religion for the preference of the U.S. government states that one religion does not favor another. As a result, the Establishment Clause effectively created a wall of separation between the church and state. How the First Amendment was created:When the original constitution was created there was significant opposition due to the lack of adequate guarantees for civil freedoms. To offer such liberties, the First Amendment (in addition to the rest of the Bill of Rights) was offered to the states for ratification on September 25, 1789 and later adopted on December 15, 1791.Court Cases tied into the 1st AmendmentIn Sherbert v. Verner, the Supreme Court applied the strict scrutiny standard of review to the Establishment Clause, ruling that a state must demonstrate an overwhelming interest in restricting religious activities.In Employment Division v Smith, the Supreme Court went away from this standard by permitting governmental actions that were neutral regarding religious choices.Debs v. United States on June 16, 1919 tested the limits of free speech in regards to the clear and present danger test.1st Amendment: Freedom of SpeechFreedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment and is re-established in the majority of state and federal laws. This particular clause typically protects and individuals right to partake in even distasteful rhetoric, such as racist or sexist comments and distasteful remarks towards public policy.Speech directed towards some subjects; however, such as child pornography or speech that incites an imminent threat, as well commercial forms of speech are regulated.State Timeline for Ratification of the Bill of RightsNew Jersey:November 20, 1789; rejected article IIMaryland:December 19, 1789; approved allNorth Carolina:December 22, 1789; approved allSouth Carolina: January 19, 1790; approved allNew Hampshire: January 25, 1790; rejected article IIDelaware: January 28, 1790; rejected article INew York: February 27, 1790; rejected article IIPennsylvania: March 10, 1790; rejected article IIRhode Island: June 7, 1790; rejected article IIVermont: November 3, 1791; approved allVirginia: December 15, 1791; approved allGeorgia, Massachusetts and Connecticut did not ratify the first 10 Amendments until 1939
First Amendment: Religion and ExpressionWhat is the First Amendment?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The First Amendment Defined: The First Amendment is a part of the Bill of Rights, which are the first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution and the framework to elucidate upon the freedoms of the individual. The Bill of Rights were proposed and sent to the states by the first session of the First Congress. They were later ratified on December 15, 1791.
The first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution were introduced by James Madison as a series of legislative articles and came into effect as Constitutional Amendments following the process of ratification by three-fourths of the States on December 15, 1791.
Stipulations of the 1st Amendment: The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the passing or creation of any law which establishes a religious body and directly impedes an individuals right to practice whichever religion they see fit.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the Bill of Rights and the amendment which disables an entity or individual from practicing or enforcing a religious viewpoint which infringes on the freedom of speech, the right peaceable assemble, the freedom of the press, or which prohibits the petitioning for a governmental evaluation of grievances.
In its infancy, the First Amendment only applied to laws enacted by Congress; however, the following Gitlow v. New York, the Supreme Court developed that the Due Process Clause attached to the Fourteenth Amendment applies the fundamental aspects of the First Amendment to each individual state, including all local governments within those states.
The Establishment clause of the First Amendment is the primary pronouncement in the Amendment, stating that Congress cannot institute a law to establish a national religion for the preference of the U.S. government states that one religion does not favor another. As a result, the Establishment Clause effectively created a wall of separation between the church and state.
How the First Amendment was created: When the original constitution was created there was significant opposition due to the lack of adequate guarantees for civil freedoms. To offer such liberties, the First Amendment (in addition to the rest of the Bill of Rights) was offered to the states for ratification on September 25, 1789 and later adopted on December 15, 1791.
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1st Amendment - Laws
- At FIU stop, DeSantis discusses First Amendment rights in wake of federal judge ruling in favor of anti-ICE protesters - WSVN - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Commentary: The First Amendment is more than the right to speak - Lake Oswego Review - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Trumps Unholy War on the First Amendment - Progressive.org - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Stars and Stripes staffers sue Pentagon over firings alleging First Amendment violations - The Independent - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Man arrested at Berkeley County gas station says his First Amendment rights were violated - Live 5 News - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Composer-Pianist Vijay Iyer to Perform at The Forever War Symposium - | Knight First Amendment Institute - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- How Do We Aggressively Lobby for Press Freedom Legislation in a Post-Trump World? - | Knight First Amendment Institute - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Federal judge says FIU violated first amendment rights of anti-ICE student protesters - Creative Loafing Tampa - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Trump Sued for Selling Early Access to Truth Social Posts: First Amendment Analysis - Freedom Forum - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Students, ACLU argue FIU violated First Amendment rights after doling out punishments for ICE protests - WSVN - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Did this field trip to a mosque violate the First Amendment? A group of Palo Alto parents think so. - The Forward - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Second Circuit Says You Have a First Amendment Right to Film Police in Public - Fstoppers - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Column: Lets celebrate ALL of the First Amendment, not part - The Daily Tar Heel - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Jury Says The New York Times Defamed Alabama Basketball Player With Incorrect Story About Shooting - First Amendment Watch - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Disney and ABC filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC - Morning Brew - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Five Standout Claims In ABCs First Amendment Lawsuit Against The FCC - Deadline - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Judge weighs First Amendment case involving FIU student protest - CBS News - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- ABC sues FCC claiming first amendment violation - WBKO - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- ABC sues FCC over license reviews, citing First Amendment rights - WRTV - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Rich Lenkov on murder trials, cocaine trafficking, and a First Amendment showdown - WGN Radio 720 - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- FCC Boss Brendan Carr Says Disneys First Amendment Lawsuit Is Without Merit - Media Play News - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Judge Plans October Hearing In ABCs First Amendment Lawsuit Against FCC, Says It Will Be Sooner If Agency Takes Action On Licenses - Yahoo - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Antithesis of Our First Amendment: Families Ask Supreme Court to Toss Texas Ten Commandments Law - Alaska Native News - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- ABC Has Filed a First Amendment Lawsuit Against the FCC After Trump Admin Goes After Network - IMDb - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- ABC Has Filed a First Amendment Lawsuit Against the FCC After Trump Admin Goes After Network - Just Jared - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- Disney Takes on Trump: Can ABC Win Its First Amendment Suit Against the FCC? | Analysis - IMDb - August 22nd, 2026 [August 22nd, 2026]
- First Amendment group rebukes San Joaquin RTD director over threat to sue public critics - Stocktonia - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Does the First Amendment Protect Freedom From Religion? - First Liberty Institute - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Opinion | Trumps attack on a think tank is an affront to the First Amendment - The Washington Post - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Dining hall workers union sues ASU, alleging First Amendment violations - The State Press - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- ACLU-SC to SC Arts Commission: Respect the First Amendment - ACLU of South Carolina - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- How does the First Amendment govern liability for AI? - Free Speech Center - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Judge Orders Massachusetts Sheriff To Hand ICE Detainee Records to ACLU - First Amendment Watch - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Masked men practicing First Amendment right to video in public antagonize residents at post office in Pleasanton - Pleasanton Weekly - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- How the First Amendment protects our 5 freedoms and why its in danger - The Seattle Times - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Dining hall workers suing ASU over First Amendment right to protest working conditions - KTAR News 92.3 FM - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Lawsuit Seeks To Ban Trump Media From Charging for Early Access to Presidents Posts on US Policy - First Amendment Watch - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Alleging Antisemitism at Harvard University - First Amendment Watch - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Meta To SCOTUS: Addiction Suits Barred By First Amendment, Section 230 - Yahoo - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Another Colorado Attack on the First Amendment Goes to the Supreme Court - Independence Institute - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Masked ICE Agent Pulls Gun on Virginia Driver Who Says She Was Exercising First Amendment Rights - National Enquirer - August 14th, 2026 [August 14th, 2026]
- Flag on the play: First Amendment problems with NIL regulation - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Removal of CLARITY Acts Section 604 Could Spark First Amendment Battle, Industry Executives Warn - Cryptonews.net - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- The Forever War and the First Amendment - | Knight First Amendment Institute - July 18th, 2026 [July 18th, 2026]
- Judge dismisses Chelan County deputies' claim that Morrison violated their First Amendment rights - The Wenatchee World - July 18th, 2026 [July 18th, 2026]
- INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS7th Cir.: Former Chicago firefighter cannot revive First Amendment claims involving racist Facebook posts - VitalLaw.com - July 18th, 2026 [July 18th, 2026]
- AI Chatbots Are at Risk of Spreading Government Restrictions on Online Speech, a New Study Says - First Amendment Watch - July 18th, 2026 [July 18th, 2026]
- Viral video at Pride protest prompts Fort Worth police to review First Amendment rights training - WFAA - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- A New Jersey Judge Defies the First Amendment by Censoring News Coverage of a High School Lockdown - Yahoo - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- 'They're Violating My First Amendment Right': A Video of a Man Being Removed From a Public Park During Arab Fest Is Dividing X - The Daily Dot - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- DOJ weighs civil rights probe into Fort Worth police over alleged First Amendment violations - Fox News - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Human Rights Groups Sue Over Trump Administrations Sanctions on ICC for Investigations Into Israel - First Amendment Watch - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- First Amendment Discussion with Journalists and Legal Experts Set for July 21 at National Press Club - PR Newswire - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- When Speech or Association Undercuts the Mission: A First Amendment Guide for Law Enforcement Agencies - States United Democracy Center - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Elon professors join FCC filing on First Amendment, broadcast journalism - Elon University - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Letter to the Editor: SCC School Board must respect the First Amendment - baldwin-bulletin.com - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Subpoenas Issued to NY Times Reporters Seen as Unprecedented Threat To Press Freedom - First Amendment Watch - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Florida Government Weekly Roundup: Crossing The First Amendment - NorthEscambia.com - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- David Schwartz invokes First Amendment to defend XRP sports ads - Cryptonews.net - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- First Amendment Protects Universities From Florida's Stop WOKE Act - Reason Magazine - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Warwick tries to bar critic from disclosing information obtained in First Amendment suit - The Boston Globe - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- South Milwaukee Orders Residents to Take Down Whimsical Skeleton Display, a Violation of Their First Amendment Rights - The Institute for Justice - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- ABC Fights Back Against FCC Regulators in Dispute Over The View and Equal Time Rules - First Amendment Watch - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- How does the First Amendment apply to AI regulation in hiring and health care? - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Judge Orders E. Jean Carroll Be Paid $5.8M in Trump Sex Abuse and Defamation Case; Trump Appeals - First Amendment Watch - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- First Amendment wins at Supreme Court to the horror of liberal justices - Washington Examiner - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- Florida Tried to Stop Woke. The First Amendment Stopped Florida. - Cloaking Inequity - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- ABC fires back at FCC investigation of 'The View' in new comments calling it a First Amendment violation - Fox News - July 9th, 2026 [July 9th, 2026]
- The Equal Rights Amendment and the First Amendment: A Roadmap for a Feminist Future - Ms. Magazine - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- Expressive Governance Is a First Amendment Threat Hiding in Plain Sight - Tech Policy Press - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- Supreme Court Strikes Down Limits on Party Spending in Federal Elections, Backing Republican Appeal - First Amendment Watch - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- Another New York Resident Says He Was Warned by Officers After Criticizing ICE - First Amendment Watch - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- Gateway Church wins tithing lawsuit dismissal as federal judge cites First Amendment - The Roys Report - June 28th, 2026 [June 28th, 2026]
- ACLU raises First Amendment concerns over Hartland library boards decision to reshelve LGBTQ+ books - News From The States - June 28th, 2026 [June 28th, 2026]
- Weakening Government Coercion by Strengthening Government Regulation - | Knight First Amendment Institute - June 28th, 2026 [June 28th, 2026]
- Former Executive Sues Meta Over Attempts To Silence Her Memoir, Careless People - First Amendment Watch - June 28th, 2026 [June 28th, 2026]
- ACLU raises First Amendment concerns over Hartland library boards decision to reshelve LGBTQ+ books - Iosco County News Herald - June 28th, 2026 [June 28th, 2026]
- New York City Council Candidate Is Accused of Forgery Over AI-Generated Posts - First Amendment Watch - June 28th, 2026 [June 28th, 2026]
- Why the Prairieland case is more about disproportionate justice than it is the First Amendment - Media Nation - June 28th, 2026 [June 28th, 2026]
- Reflecting on Americas 250th anniversary: The First Amendment - Princeton University Press - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]