The recognition and celebration of religious holidays by government can run counter to the First Amendment prohibition of government endorsing a particular religion.| The Free Speech Center
The First Amendment creates lines between public and religious buildings. The line is not clear because courts have accepted some civil religion in public places.| The Free Speech Center
Marsh v. Chambers (1983) found that the practice of hiring a chaplain to open the legislative day with prayer did not violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
The Supreme Court used the three-pronged Lemon test for nearly four decades to evaluate whether a law or governmental activity violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. The test was largely abandoned by 2022.| The Free Speech Center
The American Civil Liberties Union states as its mission the protection and preservation of First Amendment rights, equal protection under the law, and the right of privacy.| The Free Speech Center
Justice Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court. He consistently championed First Amendment and other individual rights.| The Free Speech Center
Chief Justice Warren Burger introduced the Lemon test for determining whether government actions violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
In First Amendment law, Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, was known for her religious liberty opinions.| The Free Speech Center
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens contributed mightily to First Amendment jurisprudence and seemingly became more speech-protective in his later years on the Court.| The Free Speech Center
Supreme Court Justice William Brennan Jr. was an outspoken defender of the First Amendment freedoms of speech and the press against threats of government restriction.| The Free Speech Center
The establishment clause prohibits government from establishing a religion. It is sometimes referred to as separation of church and state.| The Free Speech Center
Courts use the endorsement test to determine whether the government impermissibly endorses or disapproves of religion in violation of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center