Con Law at AU | Online Research |
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Constitution Kids | Other Links |
This
course focuses on the First Amendment jurisprudence of the United States
Supreme Court. Only forty-five words long, the First Amendment guarantees
of religious freedom, free speech, a free press, freedom to assemble, and
freedom to associate are at the heart of some of our country's most persistent
and difficult questions. For example, how does one reconcile the
inherent tension between the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment
Clause? Is sexually explicit material a type of "speech" worthy of
First Amendment protection? What about hate speech? What is
the role of a free press? Should we be free to discriminate in our
associative relationships?
The
First Amendment decisions of the Supreme Court attract controversy, in
part, because of the nature of the cases themselves which involve ideas
and values upon which most Americans simply cannot agree. This
controversy is heightened when the evolving First Amendment jurisprudence
of the Court appears to be dependent upon little more than the changing
composition of the bench.
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Follow
the links below for helpful websites and relevant secondary source material
on the First Amendment issues and cases discussed in class. The links
are categorized according to the section headings on the syllabus.