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https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/roy-cohn/
Roy Cohn | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Roy Cohn is best known for his work as the chief counsel to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, whose interrogations of alleged communists had a chilling effect on First...
first amendment encyclopediaroycohn
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/child-pornography/
Child Pornography | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jan 3, 2025 - The Supreme Court has ruled some laws outlawing child pornography and children’s access to obscene materials were too broad and infringed upon First Amendment...
first amendment encyclopediachild pornography
https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/law/law-divisions-and-codes/fourteenth-amendment
Fourteenth Amendment | Encyclopedia.com
fourteenth amendmentencyclopedia
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/adult-film-association-of-america/
Adult Film Association of America | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - The Adult Film Association of America was founded as the first trade association of pornographic film producers, working to defend the First Amendment rights...
first amendment encyclopediaadult filmassociationamerica
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/tinker-v-des-moines-independent-community-school-district/
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) established that public school students have First Amendment rights. It is the seminal...
community school districtfirst amendment encyclopediav destinkermoines
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/curfews/
Curfews | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - Curfew laws have been challenged on First Amendment grounds, leading some lower courts to overturn the laws unless they have exceptions for First...
first amendment encyclopediacurfews
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/obscenity-and-pornography/
Obscenity and Pornography | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Apr 26, 2026 - Obscenity refers to a narrow category of pornography that violates contemporary community standards is not protected by the First Amendment.
first amendment encyclopediaobscenitypornography
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/
Free Speech Center | Freedom of Speech | First Amendment Encyclopedia
Nov 7, 2025 - The Free Speech Center is the most-visited resource on the First Amendment freedoms, with free daily news reports and comprehensive First Amendment...
free speech centerfirst amendment encyclopediafreedom
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/communist-party-of-the-united-states/
Communist Party of the United States | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - The development of First Amendment free speech and association rights in the United States owes much to the battle against the Communism Party of America.
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https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/academic-bill-of-rights/
Academic Bill of Rights | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jan 9, 2025 - David Horowitz's Academic Bill of Rights attempts to establish principles of the First Amendment on college campuses that Horowitz says have been violated by...
first amendment encyclopediaacademicbillrights
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/united-states-v-hansen/
United States v. Hansen (2023) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - The Supreme Court in 2023 rejected arguments that a law against encouraging and inducing illegal immigration was unconstitutional under the First Amendment...
united states vfirst amendment encyclopediahansen2023
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/daniel-webster/
Daniel Webster | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 13, 2026 - Daniel Webster was a strong nationalist who defended the free press during a time when southerners sought to eliminate anti-slavery pamphlets in the South.
first amendment encyclopediadaniel webster
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/memoirs-v-massachusetts/
Memoirs v. Massachusetts (1966) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jan 16, 2025 - In Memoirs v. Massachusetts (1966), the Supreme Court revisited its obscenity test that an obscene work must be “utterly without redeeming social value.”
first amendment encyclopediamemoirsvmassachusetts1966
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/morrill-anti-bigamy-act-of-1862/
Morrill Anti-bigamy Act of 1862 (1862) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 5, 2024 - Congress adopted the Morrill Act for the Suppression of Polygamy in response to a perceived threat posed by polygamy, practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ...
first amendment encyclopediamorrillantibigamyact
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/pope-v-illinois/
Pope v. Illinois (1987) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Pope v. Illinois (1987) confirmed that the third prong of the Miller obscenity test warrants the reasonable person test and should not be based on contemporary...
first amendment encyclopediav illinoispope1987
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/isaiah-thomas/
Isaiah Thomas | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 20, 2026 - Isaiah Thomas was a newspaper publisher in colonial Boston, playing a role in supporting the Revolution. He published the first account of the Lexington and...
first amendment encyclopediaisaiah thomas
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/wall-of-separation/
Wall of Separation | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
first amendment encyclopediawallseparation
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/samuel-alito-jr/
Samuel Alito Jr. | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has shown some sensitivity to religious liberty in First Amendment cases but his record on free speech cases has been...
first amendment encyclopediasamuel alitojr
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/chaplains/
Chaplains | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 9, 2024 - Government-funded chaplain programs are one area in which religious rights of prisoners and military personnel may outweigh First Amendment violations.
first amendment encyclopediachaplains
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/miller-v-california/
Miller v. California (1973) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Apr 7, 2025 - In Miller v. California (1973), the Supreme Court established the test used to determine whether expressive materials cross the line into unprotected obscenity.
first amendment encyclopediamiller vcalifornia1973
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/conscientious-objection-to-military-service/
Conscientious Objection to Military Service | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - The Court considered conscientious objector cases during the Vietnam War, weighing when First Amendment freedom protects someone from laws requiring military...
first amendment encyclopediaconscientious objectionmilitary service
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/miller-test/
Miller Test | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - The Miller Test is the primary legal test for determining whether expression constitutes obscenity. It is named after the Supreme Court’s decision in Miller v....
first amendment encyclopediamillertest
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/pen-american-center/
PEN American Center | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - The PEN American Center annually awards those who fight for First Amendment values and opposes the Patriot Act, even delivering a
first amendment encyclopediaamerican centerpen
https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/law/law-divisions-and-codes/sixteenth-amendment
Sixteenth Amendment | Encyclopedia.com
amendment encyclopediasixteenth
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/melville-fuller/
Melville Fuller | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Melville Fuller, the eighth chief justice of the Supreme Court, served during a time when the court largely upheld rights of big business.
first amendment encyclopediamelvillefuller
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/community-standards/
Community Standards | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 5, 2024 - In 1973, the Supreme Court said that community standards must be taken into account in determining whether something was obscene or could be protected by the...
first amendment encyclopediacommunity standards
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/rap-music-and-the-first-amendment/
Rap Music and the First Amendment | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - The musical genre of rap, which often features a hard-core assessment of inner city woes, has come under threats of censorship through the years in a variety...
first amendment encyclopediarap music
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/william-jefferson-bill-clinton/
William Jefferson (Bill) Clinton | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Bill Clinton championed laws with First Amendment implications, including one focused on protecting children from internet indecency and others on religious...
first amendment encyclopediabill clintonwilliamjefferson
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/proclamations-of-national-days-of-prayer-or-thanksgiving/
Proclamations of National Days of Prayer or Thanksgiving | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Presidential proclamations concerning holidays date back to colonial times, when it was common for leaders to include requests for prayer and fasting.
first amendment encyclopedianational daysproclamationsprayerthanksgiving
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/john-stuart-mill/
John Stuart Mill | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 5, 2024 - John Stuart Mill became a guiding light for individual liberty. Practical applications of First Amendment principles often rest upon allusions to his ideas.
john stuart millfirst amendment encyclopedia
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/citizens-for-decent-literature/
Citizens for Decent Literature | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 10, 2024 - Citizens for Decent Literature worked to stop the sale of obscenity and filed briefs in anti-pornography cases. Non-obscene pornography is protected by the...
first amendment encyclopediacitizensdecentliterature
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/hicklin-test/
Hicklin Test | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - The Hicklin Test, an obscenity standard originating in England, was initially used in America but did not survive constitutional challenges based on the First...
first amendment encyclopediatest
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/reporters-privilege/
Reporter's Privilege | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 5, 2024 - The idea behind reporter’s privilege is that journalists have a First Amendment right, though limited right, not to be forced to reveal a confidential source...
first amendment encyclopediareporterprivilege
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/scopes-monkey-trial/
Scopes Monkey Trial | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Although Tennessee upheld a law prohibiting the teaching of evolution after the Scopes Monkey Trial, the Supreme Court later said a similar law violated the...
first amendment encyclopediascopesmonkeytrial
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/jacobellis-v-ohio/
Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jan 21, 2025 - In Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964) the Court overturned on First Amendment grounds the conviction of a movie theater manager prosecuted for showing a film deemed to...
first amendment encyclopediavohio1964
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/film/
Film | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Aug 6, 2024 - Films, which are protected by the First Amendment, have addressed several First Amendment-related topics, including the freedoms of religion, speech, and press.
first amendment encyclopediafilm
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/comic-book-legal-defense-fund/
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund defends comic book and graphic novel writers who sometimes are prosecuted under obscenity regulations. Courts have often...
comic book legalfirst amendment encyclopediadefense fund
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/unitarianism/
Unitarianism | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Aug 13, 2024 - The lack of a formal creed in Unitarian Universalism has led some critics to say it lacks religious content and should not be afforded protection under the...
first amendment encyclopedia
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/specialty-license-plates/
Specialty License Plates | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Specialty license plates have been challenged as discriminatory, but the Court has said the plates are government speech and immune from First Amendment...
specialty license platesfirst amendment encyclopedia
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/harmful-to-minors-laws/
Harmful to Minors Laws | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jun 30, 2025 - Harmful to minors laws seek to protect minors from pornography, obscenity and other material that may bring harm to them. Obscenity is not protected by the...
first amendment encyclopediaharmfulminorslaws
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/political-deepfakes-and-elections/
Political Deepfakes and Elections | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jan 11, 2025 - The latest election laws drawing First Amendment scrutiny involve the use of political deepfakes, which are realistic but false computer-generated images and...
first amendment encyclopediapolitical deepfakeselections
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/daniel-defoe/
Daniel Defoe | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Sep 29, 2025 - Daniel Defoe opposed religious tests in colonial Carolina, defending liberty of conscience and helping shape early American views on church-state separation.
first amendment encyclopediadaniel defoe
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/blacklists/
Blacklists | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 28, 2025 - In the 1940s and '50s, people were put blacklists because of their political opinions or associations, causing them to be fired or making it hard to find work.
first amendment encyclopediablacklists
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/vatican-city-u-s-recognition-of/
Vatican City, U.S. Recognition of | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
May 3, 2026 - U.S. relations with Vatican City have stirred concerns among those who fear that recognition of the city-state could violate the First Amendment's separation...
first amendment encyclopediavatican cityurecognition
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/roth-v-united-states/
Roth v. United States (1957) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jan 13, 2025 - Roth v. United States (1957) resulted in a new test to determine what could be prosecuted under obscenity laws and what was protected under the First Amendment.
v united statesfirst amendment encyclopediaroth1957
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/sandra-day-oconnor/
Sandra Day O'Connor | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - In First Amendment law, Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, was known for her religious liberty opinions.
first amendment encyclopediasandra dayconnor
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/william-brennan-jr/
William Brennan Jr. | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Supreme Court Justice William Brennan Jr. was an outspoken defender of the First Amendment freedoms of speech and the press against threats of government...
first amendment encyclopediawilliambrennanjr
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/child-online-protection-act-of-1998/
Child Online Protection Act of 1998 | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Aug 4, 2025 - Child Online Protection Act of 1998 devised to prevent minors from accessing obscene material on the Internet was found to be too broad in limiting First...
child online protectionfirst amendment encyclopediaact1998
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/j-skelly-wright/
J. Skelly Wright | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - James Skelly Wright was a highly respected federal judge who was perhaps best known for his impact on civil rights and desegregation, specifically in New...
first amendment encyclopediajskellywright
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/ketanji-brown-jackson/
Ketanji Brown Jackson | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Apr 7, 2025 - Ketanji Brown Jackson was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Joe Biden on June 30, 2022. She became the first Black woman appointed to the high court....
ketanji brown jacksonfirst amendment encyclopedia
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/richard-m-nixon/
Richard M. Nixon | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
May 2, 2026 - Richard Nixon's conduct during his presidency typified executive abuse of power, even threatening the freedoms of speech, press, and political association.
first amendment encyclopediarichardnixon
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/commission-on-obscenity-and-pornography/
Commission on Obscenity and Pornography | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - The Commission on Obscenity and Pornography told Congress to focus on restricting juvenile access to pornography, instead of focusing on consenting adults.
first amendment encyclopediacommissionobscenitypornography
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/frederick-schauer/
Frederick Schauer | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Frederick Schauer's First Amendment writings are notable for their philosophical rigor, passionately favoring free speech but critiquing arguments for it.
first amendment encyclopediafrederickschauer
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/child-protection-and-obscenity-enforcement-act-of-1988/
Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 (1988) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 criminalized the transmission of child pornography via computers. Child pornography is not protected by...
obscenity enforcement actfirst amendment encyclopediachild protection1988
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/free-speech-coalition-v-paxton/
Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jun 30, 2025 - The Supreme Court ruled in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton that a Texas law requiring porn sites to block juvenile users through age-checks doest not violate...
free speech coalitionfirst amendment encyclopediav paxton
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/maryland-toleration-act-of-1649/
Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Jul 2, 2024 - Before the First Amendment was adopted, Maryland passed the Toleration Act of 1649, which was meant to ensure religious freedom for Christian settlers of...
first amendment encyclopediamarylandtolerationact1649
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/potter-stewart/
Potter Stewart | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Mar 31, 2025 - Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart had a mixed record in First Amendment cases but was often supportive of individual liberty in cases involving speech and...
first amendment encyclopediapotterstewart
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/mark-kelly-v-pete-hegseth/
Mark Kelly v. Pete Hegseth | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Feb 20, 2026 - U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly filed a lawsuit seeking to enjoin Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth who threatened his Navy pension over Kelly's criticisms against the...
first amendment encyclopediamark kellypete hegsethv
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/right-of-assembly/
Freedom of Assembly and Association | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
Nov 11, 2024 - The First Amendment guarantees “the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” The notion that the act of gathering is pivotal to a functioning democracy...
first amendment encyclopediafreedomassemblyassociation