1st Amendment and Free Speech/1st Amendment rights

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Expert: - 2/10/2003


Question
I am an 18 year old student doing a project on 1st Amendment rights.  To what extent has the Rehnquist Court protected 1st Amendment Rights?
I know this is rather simplistic but any help would be greatly appreciated.  

Answer
Hi Nick,

The Rehnquist Court, which began in 1987, has decided a great deal of First Amendment Cases.  It has voided several laws which tried to punish flag burning.  It has protected the rights of association, holding the government may not force private groups to include homosexuals in a parade.  It has protected the rights of relgious groups to be free from government discrimination, even when government funds are involved.  It has prevented Congress from placing restrictions of campaign speech under the guise of "campaign finance reform."  It has voided various "hate speech" laws, holding that even hateful people have a constitutional right to free expression.

For specific cases, try here:

http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/topiclist.html

(look under the "first amendment" topic).

If you have any questions about a specific issue, feel free to send a follow up.

I hope this helps!
- Mike  

1st Amendment and Free Speech

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Michael Troy

Expertise

I will answer general questions regarding freedom of speech, petition, or religion. I specialize in cases involving public employment or education, as well as issues related to campaign finance. But I can`t give specific legal advice involving specific cases you might have.

Experience

As an attorney for the Center for Individual Rights, I worked on a number of free speech cases, including Rosenberger v. Univ. of Virginia, in which the Supreme Court upheld my clients' right to run a student newspaper without discrimination because of its religious conent. I also worked on White v. Julian, which protected the right of people to protest against a homeless shelter in their neighborhood.

I also worked for the Federal Election Commission on several cases regarding the right to participate in the election process.

Organizations
Former Attorney for Center for Individual Rights.

Publications
Washington Post
Washington Times

Education/Credentials
J.D. from Univ. of Michigan Law School

Awards and Honors
Truman Scholar

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