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The Constitution
While signed on September 17th, and Ratified on June 21st, on March 4th is when it officially went into effect. -
Reynolds V. United States
George Reynolds was being charged with bigamy. The supreme court ruled against Reynolds although he argued that his religious freedom was protected under the first amendment. -
Rosen v. United States
Rosen published an obscene (at the time) newspaper and attempted to illegally distribute it through the US Postal Service. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction considering the amendment didn’t cover obscene material. -
Chaplinksy v. New Hampshire
A Jehovah’s Witness, Walter Chaplinksy, was convicted after using “fighting words” to preach about religion in a public side walk. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld his conviction and nd stated that it did not viste his first or fourteenth amendment right. -
Everson V. Board of Education
The district was providing reimbursements to parents of both public and private school students taking public transit. The plaintiff argued that their reimbursements were unconstitutional however the Supreme Court rule against the plaintiff and in favor of the school district. -
McCollum v. Board of Education
Decided on March 8, 1948. Public schools set aside time to pray. McCollum, the mother of a student, also an atheist, claimed that her son was ostracized by his classmates for not attending the bible study classes. The supreme court rule that it was a violation of the first and fourteenth amendment to make time during the school day to teach religion. -
Terminiello v. City of Chicago
This case showed the difference between provocative speech and hate speech (Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire). The Supreme Court ruled that Terminiello’s preaching was constitutional seeing that while it did strike debate it did not incite violence. -
Edwards v. South Carolina
187 black students were convicted after civilly assembling at the South Carolina State Government. They were arrested and convicted of disturbing the peace. The students argued that they were denied due process of law and their right to assemble under the first and fourteenth amendment. The Supreme Court voted for the students and reversed all 187 convictions stating it was clear their rights were violated. -
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
Students wore black arm bands in protest of the Vietnam war. They were suspended by administration after refusing to remove them at the request of the school. The supreme court ruled that this was a violation of the students first amendment right seeing that their protest was civil and non disruptive. -
Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District
After a teacher, Bessie Givhan, was fired for making comments to the principle about an attempt to sustain segregation, she claimed her first and fourteenth amendment rights were violated. The Supreme Court voted unanimously in her favor. -
Bethel School District v. Fraser
During a student body assembly, a student delivered a speech using sexual innuendos to refer to another student running. The student was suspended but sued the school for violating his rights to free speech. The supreme court ruled that his rights were not violated and that the school was doing their job by suspending the student. -
Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah
This case covered religious freeedom in terms of animal sacrifice. The Supreme Court ruled against the church forbidding the “unnecessary killing of an animal in a public or private ritual or ceremony not for the primary purpose of food consumption.”
