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Laws and Proposed Laws, 2008 to present

  • California Assembly Bill 1570

Critics of a California law cracking down on authentication of autographed
collectibles say it violates the First Amendment by limiting the spread of
information.

  • Drag Show Laws

States in 2022 and 2023 began introducing laws to restrict drag show
performances, raising questions about the First Amendment rights of free
expression.

  • Free Flow of Information Act

The Free Flow of Information Act would create a federal shield law to
protect reporters. Opponents of the law say the First Amendment does not
entitle press to special privileges.

  • Funeral Protests

Funeral protest laws have been passed in response to distasteful protests
at military funerals. Courts have generally upheld the laws against First
Amendment challenges.

  • Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009)

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009)
does not penalize speech unless the speech is intended to incite hate
crimes.

  • Same-Sex Couple Adoption Laws

Some states have laws that allow adoption agencies to refuse adoption
services to same-sex couples, raising questions about First Amendment
religious rights.

  • Stop W.O.K.E Act (Florida) (2022)

A federal judge blocked Florida’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act saying that it violates
the First Amendment by limiting professors at state schools from expressing
certain viewpoints related to race, sex and country of origin when relevant
to the curriculum.

ABOUT US

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The Free Speech Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy center dedicated to building understanding of the five freedoms of the First Amendment through education, information and engagement.

freespeechcenter@mtsu.edu

FEATURE POSTS

Happy birthday to us – on the day that cleared a road to freedom

Memorial Day: Honoring those who gave all for our freedoms

White House Correspondents’ Dinner: levity, gravity, and a toast to the First Amendment

The origins of academic freedom in the U.S.

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