First Amendment Liberties
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.
Speech
- Clear and Present Danger test (Schenck v. U.S., 1919)
- "Bad tendency" test (Gitlow v. New York, 1925)
- Imminent Lawless Action test (Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969)
- Preferred Freedoms doctrine: Government must establish a compelling reason to justify restricting the freedoms of the Bill of Rights.
- e.g. Flag burning (Texas v. Johnson, 1989)
Press
- "Prior restraint" (Near v. Minnesota, 1931)
- Libel (print) and slander (speech)
- Obscenity
- "contemporary community standards" (Roth v. United States, 1957)
- "Miller Test" (Miller v. California, 1973) - "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value" (SLAPS test)
Religion
- Establishment Clause
- "Wall of Separation"
- "Child Benefit" exception (Everson v. Board of Education, 1947)
- School prayer (Engel v. Vitale, 1962)
- "Lemon Test": avoid "excessive entanglement" between state and religion (Lemon v. Kurtzman, 1971)
- neutrality
- Free Exercise Clause
- State must have a compelling interest
- "Smith Test": Law must be "neutral" and "generally applicable"
- Sacramental peyote - limit upheld (Employment Division v. Smith, 1990)
- Animal sacrifice - limit overturned, specific law failed "Smith Test" (Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 1993)