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1215
The Magna Carta
Abuses by England’s King John cause a revolt by nobles, who compel him to recognize rights for both noblemen and ordinary Englishmen. This document, known as the Magna Carta, establishes the principle that no one, including the king or a lawmaker, is above the law, and establishes a framework for future documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
Students were suspended for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Court ruled that it was the students constitutional right to wear the arm bands. -
Cohen v. California
individual wore a jacket into a courthouse with the words “F-k The Draft.” Supreme court ruled offensive and profane speech were protected by the first amendment. -
Board of Education v. Pico
supreme court ruled that school officials could not remove books from school libraries because they disagree with the ideas contained in them -
Bethel School District v. Fraser
suspended student Matthew Fraser after what was considered an offensive campaign speech for a school election at an assembly with 600 students present. court decided the speech itself was not disruptive but the fact that he spoke it in front of such a large audience. -
Employment Division v. Smith
Alfred Smith and Galen Black, were fired from their jobs for using peyote for sacramental purposes at a ceremony at their Native American Church. When Respondents applied for unemployment compensation, they were determined ineligible for benefits because they had been discharged for work-related “misconduct.” Since they used the drug for religious purposes, they could not be denied unemployment compensation for something that was protected under the first amendment. -
Reno v. ACLU
Supreme Court rules that some provisions in the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996 are unconstitutional. The Court concludes that the act, which makes it a crime to display indecent or patently offensive material on the Internet where a child may find it, is too vague and tramples on the free-speech rights of adults. -
Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe
Supreme Court rules that a school district’s policy permitting student-led, student-initiated prayer at football games violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment -
Republican Party of Minnesota v. White
ruled that a provision prohibiting judicial candidates from announcing their views on disputed legal or political issues violates the First Amendment. -
Guiles v. Marineau
Student wears t shirt to school with pictures of alcohol/drugs on the front/back, accusing George Bush of being an alcoholic and cocaine addicted. Student was suspended but returned to school wearing the shirt. School official asked him multiple times to change, which finally the student did. Court decided the suspension shall be taken off the students record but students shall not wear shirts depicting anything that may be deemed offensive. -
Morse v. Fredrick
students and teachers were let out of class to watch an olympic torch ceremony across the street from school. Joseph Fredrick waited until TV cameras angled at he and his group of friends before holding up a sign that said “Bong Hits 4 Jesus.” Principal Deborah Morse took away the sign and suspended Fredrick. The court ruled that Fredrick’s first amendment rights were not in place because he was at a school event and that he was promoting illegal drug use. -
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association
filed lawsuit against California Governor to challenge a state law that prohibited sale or rental of violent video games to minors because it is a violation of the first amendment. court decided this law was unconstitutional.
