AboutEd Buckner Expertise Nationally known freethinker will answer questions on church and state, including giving specific quotations and historical or logical support on religious liberty questions. I`m an expert on the U.S. Constitution, First Amendment, and the Treaty with Tripoli (1796-97). I am a Regional Director for the Council for Secular Humanism, active in the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a leader of the Atlanta Freethought Society and The Georgia Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. I earned a Ph.D.in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University in 1983.
Question If a certain kind of speech is held by a court not to be protected by the First Amendment, can the government restrict that kind of speech? Can it ban it entirely?
Answer I'm not an attorney, but I think even an attorney would need to know more before he could reasonably answer your question. What kind of speech are you asking about? What kind of setting or circumstances? (Governments can, obviously, restrict some speech in some circumstances--most obviously, prevent people from shouting "Fire!' in a crowded theater just for kicks; less obviously, prevent speech that induces riots, etc.).
Please give me more detail if you want a better answer.
