List of United States Supreme Court cases involving the First Amendment

This is a list of cases that appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States involving the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The establishment of religion

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Blue laws

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Government-sponsored religious displays

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Legislative prayer

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Internal religious affairs (also involving the Free Exercise Clause)

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Ministerial exception

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Private religious speech

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Religion in public schools

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Religious institution functioning as a government agency

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Standing to sue

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Statutory religious exemptions

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Unequal government treatment of different religious groups

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Abortion and contraception

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Other

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The free exercise of religion

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Exclusion of religion from public benefits

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Polygamy

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Free exercise and eminent domain

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Free exercise and free speech

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Free exercise and public education

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Free exercise and public property

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Internal religious affairs (also involving the Establishment Clause)

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Ministerial exception

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Religion and the right to work

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Religious tests for public service or benefits

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Ritual sacrifice of animals

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Solicitation by religious groups

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Statutory religious exemptions

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Religious Freedom Restoration Act

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Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act

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Other

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Freedom of speech

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Campaign finance

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Commercial speech

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Compelled commercial speech

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Compelled subsidy for speech of others

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Cases that consider the First Amendment implications of payments mandated by the state going to use in part for speech by third parties

Loyalty oaths and affirmations

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Content-based

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Content-neutral

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Sedition and imminent danger

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False speech

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Fighting words and the heckler's veto

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Freedom of assembly and public forums

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Time, place and manner

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Cases concerning restrictions on the time, place, and manner of speech

Government speech

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Cases pertaining to whether or not extending protections to speech constitutes government endorsement of speech.

Government-subsidized speech

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Cases about restrictions on speech by third parties funded by the government.

Obscenity

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Generally

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Cases concerned with the definition of obscenity and whether a particular work or type of material is obscene.

As criminal offense

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Appeals of criminal convictions for possessing, selling or distributing obscenity that focused on that issue

Search, seizure and forfeiture

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Cases involving the search and seizure of allegedly obscene material

Civil and administrative regulation

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Cases dealing with civil and administrative regulatory procedures aimed at suppressing or restricting obscenity, such as film-licensing boards or zoning regulations.

Internet

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Cases involving laws meant to restrict obscenity online

Public employees

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Political activity and Hatch Act of 1939

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Public school students

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Speech by students in public secondary schools

Retaliation by public officials

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Cases in which it has been alleged governmental officials retaliated for protected speech made by private citizens who are not employed by said officials.

Symbolic speech

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Freedom of the press

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Broadcast media

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Defamation

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Prior restraints and censorship

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Privacy

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Search and seizure

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Taxation and privileges

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Freedom of assembly

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Freedom of association

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Freedom to petition

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References

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Further reading

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  • The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. Kermit L. Hall, ed.
  • The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions. Kermit L. Hall, ed.
  • Alley, Robert S. (1999). The Constitution & Religion: Leading Supreme Court Cases on Church and State. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-703-1.