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Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress adopts the final draft of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. -
People v. Croswell
Criminal libel case brought against a Federalist journalist named Harry Croswell for his statements about a number of public officials, including then-President Thomas Jefferson. This violated his freedom of speech, and was then ruled against. -
Engel v. Vitale
The daily reading of a state-composed nondenominational prayer in school was thought to be in violation of the First Amendment. The court ruled that New York’s official prayer to begin the school day was unconstitutional by imposing religion on students. -
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
Three public school students wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. Since the didn't remove them, they were suspended from school. They sued the district for violating their 1st Amendment rights. -
Miller v. California
Miller conducting a mass mailing campaign to advertise the sale of "adult" material. This landmark was what determined what could be referred to as "free speech" vs purely obscene. -
Loewen v. Turnipseed
Mississippi Textbook Purchasing Board refused to approve "Mississippi: Conflict and Change" for use in Mississippi public schools since it was "too concerned with racial matters and too controversial." The authors sued and Judge Smith ruled that the criteria used were not justifiable grounds for rejecting the book. -
Texas v. Johnson
The court ruled that flag burning as political protest is a form of symbolic speech. Therefore, as free speech is protected by the First Amendment, people can burn the U.S. flag. -
Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah
In Hialeah, Florida, there was a banning of animal sacrifice. People believed the laws targeted the Santeria religion, in which animal sacrifice is an important ritual. The Court ruled that because the ordinances were designed to persecute or oppress a religion, Florida violated the Free Exercise Clause. -
Virginia v. Black
A blanket ban on cross-burning was an unconstitutional content-based restriction on free speech. It is allowed, as freedom of speech, unless it is used to intimidate or threaten someone based on their religious beliefs. -
Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow
California’s Elk Grove Unified School District’s policy requires each elementary school class to recite daily the Pledge of Allegiance. A father of a child challenged the constitutionality of the district’s policy, because the Pledge contains the words “under God.” He argued that the case pushed religion onto students however the court ruled otherwise. -
McCullen v. Coakley
A Massachusetts law made it a crime to stand on a public road/sidewalk within 35 feet of a reproductive health care facility violates the First Amendment. This is because individuals have the right to peaceful protest, and the law was arguing otherwise. -
Packingham v. North Carolina
The Court ruled that a North Carolina law prohibiting registered sex offenders from accessing social media violated the First Amendment. The offender was a citizen who had access to freedom of speech through modern technology and websites.
