Gary Bugh, Ph.D., is a professor of political science at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. His research focuses on American political theory, Constitutional law, the Bill of Rights and Electoral College reform. He has worked on six professional publications with the most recent being Incorporation of the Bill of Rights: An Accounting of the Supreme Court’s Extension of Federal Civil Liberties to the States.

More Articles from this Author


De Jonge v. Oregon (1937)

De Jonge v. Oregon (1937) said that state governments may not violate the First Amendment right of peaceable assembly. The decision contributed to symbolic speech jurisprudence.

Public Figures and Officials

To promote First Amendment freedom of speech, libel plaintiffs who are public figures or officials must show a publisher acted with actual malice to collect damages.

Specialty License Plates

Specialty license plates have been challenged as discriminatory, but the Court has said the plates are government speech and immune from First Amendment challenges.