Elizabeth Purdy earned a Ph.D. at Georgia State University and is an independent scholar and freelance writer who has published articles on subjects ranging from political science and women’s studies to economics and popular culture.
More Articles from this Author
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has faced censorship since its publication in 1885. Alleged racist material has been most often cited for banning the book in schools.
Aguilar v. Felton(1985)
Aguilar v. Felton (1958) said that New York had violated the First Amendment by paying public school teachers to teach low-income students in private religious schools.
Alexander v. United States (1993)
Alexander v. United States (1993) rejected claims that the First Amendment rights of a petitioner convicted under obscenity and racketeering laws had been violated.
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is intended to make the public more aware of the frequent challenges to the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and press.
Benjamin Cardozo
Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo authored many opinions that supported freedom of the press and free speech, which he viewed as the foundation of liberty.
Censorship
Censorship occurs when individuals or groups try to prevent others from expressing themselves. Government censorship violates the freedoms of speech and of the press.
Child Online Protection Act of 1998 (1998)
Child Online Protection Act of 1998 devised to prevent minors from accessing obscene material on the Internet was found to be too broad in limiting First Amendment rights.
McDonald v. Smith (1985)
McDonald v. Smith (1985) held that the petition clause of the First Amendment does not endow individuals with absolute immunity from charges of slander and libel.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes was a civil libertarian who protected the First Amendment from encroachments, particularly during and after World War I.
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem witch trials are a testament to the importance of due process in protecting individuals against false accusations, which are not protected by the First Amendment.
Shelton v. Tucker (1960)
Shelton v. Tucker (1960) said an Arkansas law requiring schoolteachers to submit the organizations to which they belonged violated First Amendment freedom of association.
Smith v. California (1959)
Smith v. California (1959) overturned a California law that criminalized the sale of obscene books, saying it was too vague and infringed upon First Amendment rights.
Spence v. Washington (1974)
In Spence v. Washington (1974), the Supreme Court held that the First Amendment protects the right to desecrate the American flag as a form of symbolic protest.
Tipper Gore
Tipper Gore led a successful fight to have parental warning labels affixed to record albums that contained explicit lyrics. Critics said her efforts violated the First Amendment.