In Reynolds v. United States (1879), the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a federal law prohibiting polygamy did not violate the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
Polygamy is a practice in which a person is married to more than one person at the same time. Polygamy raises issues under the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
Harlan Fiske Stone, chief justice on the Supreme Court, demonstrated a profound interest in civil liberties and First Amendment values.| The Free Speech Center
While Justice Felix Frankfurter championed civil rights, he frequently voted to limit civil liberties and was not one of the great defenders of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
The compelled speech doctrine sets out that the First Amendment prevents the government from punishing a person for refusing to articulate or adhere to its messages.| The Free Speech Center
The Supreme Court has ruled that compelling schoolchildren to recite the Pledge of Allegiance violates the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
Perhaps no religious sect has had a greater impact relative to its size on expanding the First Amendment free exercise of religion than has the Jehovah’s Witnesses.| The Free Speech Center
