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
- No First Amendment for some immigrant journalists or sources, govt says - Freedom of the Press Foundation - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Protesting in Tennessee, what are your First Amendment rights? - The Tennessean - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- First Amendment lawsuit seeks to end Nashuas policy of requiring name and address during public comment - New Hampshire Public Radio - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- First Amendment Balancing, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Become a Breyerian - | Knight First Amendment Institute - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Does a Public Actor Have the Right to Anonymity? Animal Research and Wider First Amendment Implications - Harvard Law School - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Halo zone around police, ICE nears final passage as Dems voice First Amendment concerns - News From The States - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Bravo to students who use the First Amendment - The Campanile - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Supreme Court revives First Amendment lawsuit from street preacher who called concertgoers whores, Jezebels and sissies - CNN - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- The next AI fight: Do the chatbots have First Amendment rights? - qz.com - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Judge strikes down restrictive Pentagon press policy, finding it violates First Amendment - CBS News - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Gianforte Administration Reverses Permit Guidelines, Allows Weekend Events at the State Capitol - First Amendment Watch - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- A call for US companies to follow the First Amendment: Ross Kerber - TradingView - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Students sue University of Alabama over suspension of campus magazines, claim First Amendment breach - rocketcitynow.com - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Students raise concerns over Kansas Senate bill that limits First Amendment right to protest - Kansas Reflector - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Jane Fonda's Committee For The First Amendment On Brendan Carr Threats - Deadline - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- This is the issue with doing counterterrorism in a 'First Amendment society': Paul Mauro - Fox News - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- A Media-Rating Company Says a Trump Agency Is Threatening Its Livelihood - First Amendment Watch - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Feds Move To Dismiss Charges Against Army Veteran Who Burned American Flag Near White House - First Amendment Watch - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Jane Fonda's Committee for the First Amendment issued a response to FCC Chair Brendan Carr's threats against broadcasters' coverage of Iran. Read more... - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- On MSNOW, Angelo Carusone discusses grave First Amendment consequences of the Trump administration trying to control major media organizations - Media... - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Diddy Appeals Conviction Claiming Freak-Offs Protected by First Amendment - That Grape Juice.net - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Raja Ramaswamy Column: We should protect the First Amendment like we do the Second - reporter.net - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- The Recap: Trump squashes First Amendment, and another state could flip blue - Daily Kos - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- In Fox News Op-Ed, Mahmoud Khalil Urges Americans To Defend The First Amendment - Yahoo - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Sheriff Grady Judd says troll crossed lines of First Amendment in threats made to Kaitlin Bennett - Yahoo - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- The Fate of the First Amendment - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Attacking the First Amendment on Repeat - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Humanities Hub leads a week of celebrating First Amendment rights and history - Clemson News - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Free Expression and the Rights of Non-Citizens - | Knight First Amendment Institute - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Former ACLU president speaks with Trojans about intricacies of the First Amendment and free speech - USC Today - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- AU holds 2026 Future of the First Amendment Lecture on Tuesday - WJBF - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS5th Cir.: Principal not immune from teachers First Amendment claims over pre-attendance prayer ban - VitalLaw.com - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- First amendment quote - Pea Ridge Times - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Stanford Daily First Amendment suit against Trump admin moves toward final ruling - The Mercury News - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Diddy Reiterates Claim Freak-Offs Were Protected by First Amendment in New Appeal Brief - Complex - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Steve Bertrands acceptance speech for Lifetime Achievement Award at the RTDNA First Amendment Awards - WGN Radio 720 - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Legal Battle Between Anthropic, Trump Admin Could Have Major First Amendment Implications, Experts Say - National Review - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Kansas Senate votes to subvert students First Amendment right to join public protests - Kansas Reflector - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The Infrastructure of Free Expression - | Knight First Amendment Institute - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Editorial: Know the First Amendment rights - The Shorthorn - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- After Abandoning Law Firm Executive Orders, Trump Administration Reverses Course and Pursues Fight - First Amendment Watch - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Federal Judge Blocks Florida Governors Foreign Terrorist Label of Muslim Groups - First Amendment Watch - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- You cant celebrate the First Amendment with Donald Trump - Media Matters for America - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Mamdanis thin-skinned press secretary blocks social media comments a clear First Amendment violation, critics say - New York Post - February 26th, 2026 [February 26th, 2026]
- A Childrens Book Writer Clashed With Trump. Now Shes Defending The First Amendment - SheKnows - February 26th, 2026 [February 26th, 2026]
- Christian nationalism threatens First Amendment freedoms: The right to worship any way you desire - MS NOW - February 26th, 2026 [February 26th, 2026]
- Age Limits on Bodybuilding Supplements: Inside the First Amendment Battle for Teen Health - Live Media News - February 26th, 2026 [February 26th, 2026]
- Sorry FTC, the First Amendment Trumps Antitrust Law - RealClearMarkets - February 26th, 2026 [February 26th, 2026]
- Letter: Utah bill targeting protesters is a frontal assault on First Amendment rights - The Salt Lake Tribune - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- First Amendment Troops The ResistDance - Dance Magazine - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Gov. Hochuls crackdown on AI-generated political speech wont pass the First Amendment test - New York Post - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Utah bill cracking down on protests criticized as invasion of our First Amendment rights - Utah News Dispatch - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- The First Amendment in flux - The Minnesota Daily - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Attorney William Brewer on New Yorks Even Year Election Law and the First Amendment - First Amendment Watch - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Supporting and Implementing Truth as a Free Speech Value - | Knight First Amendment Institute - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Editorial: Reading between the lines of the First Amendment - TribLIVE.com - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Press Release: Representative Dave Min Raises First Amendment Concerns in Letter to FCC Chairman - Quiver Quantitative - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- In a Scorching Order, Federal Judge Rejects Trumps Attempt to Trample the First Amendment and Rewrite Americas Antebellum Past - Ms. Magazine - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- The Anti-Homelessness Plot Against the First Amendment - The New Republic - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- In the News: Thomas Berg on Competing First Amendment Rights - Newsroom | University of St. Thomas - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- New Knight Institute Initiative to Focus on Reconstructing Free Expression After Trump - | Knight First Amendment Institute - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Two Universities. Two Posters. One First Amendment Problem. - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Haywood school district accused of First Amendment violation after Memphis rapper speaks to students - FOX13 Memphis - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Judge Rules Against Hegseth, Finding That He Trampled on Senator Kellys First Amendment Freedoms - Talking Points Memo - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Opinion | Don Lemon and the First Amendment - The Wall Street Journal - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- The First Amendment and Lincolns Constitutional Legacy: Lectures in Law and Humanities focus on the history of Americans rights - Clemson News - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Can students be punished for protesting during the school day? First amendment expert weighs in - Fox 59 - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- In the News: Julie Jonas on Don Lemon Arrest and the First Amendment - Newsroom | University of St. Thomas - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Nevada Fake Elector Case Resumes With Debate Over Intent Behind 2020 Pro-Trump Ceremony - First Amendment Watch - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Kentuckys Second Amendment warriors cannot stay silent as the First Amendment dies - Forward Kentucky - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Banned Books, Free Speech, and the First Amendment - Law.com - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Washington Post Cuts a Third of Its Staff in a Blow to a Legendary News Brand - First Amendment Watch - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Understanding what First Amendment rights students have when protesting ICE - WTHR - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Don Lemon Says a Dozen Agents Were Sent To Arrest Him Even Though He Offered To Turn Himself In - First Amendment Watch - February 4th, 2026 [February 4th, 2026]
- VERIFY: Yes, student protests are protected under the First Amendment, but schools can still discipline students for missing class - rocketcitynow.com - February 4th, 2026 [February 4th, 2026]
- Video First amendment lawyer reacts to arrest of Don Lemon - ABC News - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Mark Levin: Interference is not a First Amendment right - Fox News - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Can You Protest Inside or Near a Church? First Amendment Analysis - Freedom Forum - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- First Amendment lawyers say Minneapolis ICE observers are protected by Constitution - Minnesota Reformer - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- Opinion | After the Minneapolis shootings, a reminder of what the First Amendment protects - Star Tribune - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]