William O. Douglas was one of the Supreme Court’s most controversial members as well as one of its most passionate defenders of individual freedoms and First Amendment rights.| The Free Speech Center
Prayer at public school events can involve three clauses of the First Amendment: the establishment, the free exercise, and the free speech.| The Free Speech Center
Freedom of religion guarantees the right to freely exercise one's faith and to be free from government imposition of religion.| The Free Speech Center
Wallace v. Jaffree (1985) struck down a state law requiring a minute of silence in public schools. The Court said the law had a religious purpose and violated the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
Supreme Court Justice Hugo Lafayette Black is considered to be one of the most influential justices of his time. On First Amendment issues, Black was considered an absolutist.| The Free Speech Center
Abington School District v. Schempp (1963) ended devotional exercises in public schools because the First Amendment forbade the recognition of one religion over others.| The Free Speech Center
Prayer in school has been a divisive and muddy issue over the years. Here’s what is – and isn’t – protected by the First Amendment.| Freedom Forum
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart had a mixed record in First Amendment cases but was often supportive of individual liberty in cases involving speech and religion.| The Free Speech Center