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Alien Registration Act - Smith Act
In 1940, Congress passed the Alien Registration Act (Smith Act). This made it a crime for anyone to promote the overthrow of the government. -
Dennis v. United States
Case that upheld the convictions of 12 Communist Party members who were found guilty under the Smith Act of 1940. -
Sherbert v. Verner
Ruling by Supreme Court that South Carolina officials violated the rights of Adele Sherbert who refused to work on Saturday due to her religious beliefs. -
Lloyd Corp v. Tanner
The Supreme Court ruled that Tanner, the defendant, and 5 others did not have the right to distribute flyers protesting the Vietnam War at a Shopping Mall which was owned by Lloyd Corp, LLC. The reasoning for this verdict in 1972, was that the Shopping Mall was a privately owned business and had the right to prohibit the distribution of flyers on his property. -
Connick v. Myers
This case helped form the basis for the public employee First Amendment Law. Myers, an employee of Assistant District Attorney, Connick, had the right to distribute a questionnaire to fellow employees on workplace satisfaction. This was determined because the questions were mainly of public concern and not personal concern for Myers. -
Simon & Schuster v. Members of NY State Crime Victims Board
The state of New York, in 1991, passed a bill that restricted criminals from gaining profit from the sale of their criminal activity. This allowed for any profits incurred from the offering of the story to the media or other outlet, would be placed in a fund for the victims and/or the families of the victims. -
44Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island
In 1996, in the case of 44 Liquormart, Inc. v Rhode Island, the Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting the display of prices of alcohol was unconstitutional under the First Amendment. -
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale
Ruling by the Court that a private organization such as the Boy Scouts of America, had the right under the First Amendment to exclude a person from membership based on the private beliefs and opinions of the organization. -
United States v. American Library Association
In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress has the right to require public schools and libraries to install software on a public computer that restricts the content a reader is allowed to access. The ruling stated that in order to receive federal funding, this must be allowed. -
Morse v. Frederick
The 2007 Morse v Frederick case allowed the suppression of speech displayed across from a school event by the educators when it appears the display is advocating illegal drug use. -
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association is a case where the Supreme Court overturned a law that prohibited the selling of violent video games to children when they did not have permission from a parent to purchase the violent video games. -
Snyder v. Phelps
In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that a group may demonstrate across the street from a funeral because they were demonstrating on public property. It was determined that the First Amendment protected the protesters and that they had a right to display their thoughts.
