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1641
The Massachusetts General court drafts the first broad statement of American liberties. dm -
1689
Publication of John Locke's letter corcerning Mason's proposed Article.dm -
1735
Publisher John Peter Zenger for pubished criticism of the Royal Governor of New York.dm -
1859
John Stuart Mill publishes the essay "On Liberty." The essay expands John Milton's argument that if speech is free and the search for knowledge unfettered, then eventually the truth will rise to the surface. -
1919
In Schenck v. U.S., U.S. Supreme Court Justice Holmes sets forth his clear-and-present-danger test: "whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has the right to prevent." Schenck and others had been accused of urging draftees to oppose the draft and "not submit to intimidation." Justice Holmes also writes that not all speech is protected by the First Ame -
1942
The U.S. Supreme Court determines "fighting words" are not protected by the First Amendment. In Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, the Court defines "fighting words" as "those which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of peace." The Court states that such words are "no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest -
1967
In United States v. O'Brien, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the conviction of O'Brien, an anti-war protester accused of violating a federal statute prohibiting the public destruction of draft cards. O'Brien claims that the burning of draft cards is "symbolic speech" protected by the First Amendment. The Court concludes that conduct combining "speech" and "non-speech" elements can be regulated if the following four requirements are met: (1) the regulation is within the constitutional power o -
1992
In R.A.V.V. City of st.paul, the u.s. Supreme court invalidates. -
1996
The U.S. Supreme Court in 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. State of Rhode Island, invalidates a state law forbidding all advertising of liquor prices. -
1999
The U.S. Supreme Court in Wilson v. Layne and Hanlon v. Berger rules unanimously that law enforcement officials violate privacy rights protected by the Fourth Amendment when they allow media on ride-alongs into a home when making an arrest or conducting a search. Though the consolidated cases more squarely address 4th Amendment issues, the newsgathering technique of "ride-along" is at the heart of the dispute. -
2000
2000
The U.S. Supreme Court in Mitchell v. Helms finds that a federal program allowing states to lend educational material and equipment to both public and private schools does not violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment.