First Amendment and Freedom of Expression Resources

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

See also: Free Speech  |  Free Press  |  F.O.I  |  Banned Books  |  Censorship

Annotations on the 1st Amendment - FindLaw
Annotations from the Congressional Research Service Library of Congress with links to cited Supreme Court Cases.
Commercial Speech Digest
A quarterly newsletter from the Media Institute with news and commentary on advertising rights.
Computers and Academic Freedom Project
This is a subsection of the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) Web site. Current academic freedom news, access to other resources and archives.
First Amendment Center
Housed at Vanderbilt University the "Center serves as a forum for dialogue, discussion and debate on free expression and freedom of information issues. The Center was created by The Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people."
First Amendment Handbook
"[D]esigned to provide a basic primer on the laws affecting reportersê rights to gather and disseminate news" by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
FACT - First Amendment Cyber-Tribune
"The FACT Web site is intended to be a resource for anyone wanting to learn about the First Amendment. It provides information on all the liberties guaranteed by the amendment. …The Web site editor is Charles Levendosky. He is the editorial page editor and a columnist for the Casper Star-Tribune, which hosts this site."See especially First Amendment Web Sites
Freedom Forum Online
News and analysis. "The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation pursues its priorities through conferences, educational activities, publishing, broadcasting, online services, fellowships, partnerships, training, research and other programs." See especially the First Amendment page.
Freedom of Expression Institute (South Africa)
The Institute's work … involves monitoring (watchdog) and research functions, litigation, educational activities and campaigns.
Freedom of Expression Links
This list of links was compiled by Sandra Bernstein on behalf of the Periodical Writers Association of Canada and the Book and Periodical Council.
Index on Censorship
A "bi-monthly magazine for free speech, widens the debates on freedom of expression with some of the world's best writers. Through interviews, reportage, banned literature and polemic, Index shows how free speech affects the political issues of the moment." A good links page with links to free speech and human rights resources online.
International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearinghouse (IFEX)
"This service allows you to access accurate and up-to-date information on freedom of expression issues and abuses. This site is managed by Norweigian Forum for Freedom of Expression (NFFE) and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), two member organizations of IFEX."
Institute for First Amendment Studies
An "educational and research organization focusing on the First Amendment's provision for separation between church and state. Our research in this area has led us to carefully scrutinize the political agenda of the religious right. …Whether your interest is reproductive rights, gay and lesbian rights, free speech, public education, or religious liberty, you'll find all of these church-state issues addressed on our home page."
The Justice on Campus Project
"Our online archive includes reports on disciplinary charges, speech codes, and censorship on college campuses around the country. The Project was one of 20 plaintiffs in the ACLU's successful challenge of the Communications Decency Act."
Model Campus Free Speech Code (American Communication Association)
In addition to general remarks on the need for freedom of speech, this document lays out specific guidelines for "the limits of appropriate dissent" and suggests sanctions for violating those limits. The areas of dissent covered are: Picketing; literature; Silent or symbolic protest; Noise; Force or Violence; The Audience's Responsibility; and Questions and Answer Period in Open Meetings.

Freedom of the Press

Freedom of the Press, an annotated bibliography by Ralph McCoy
This project, sponsored by the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) and the American Association of University Presses (AAUP) is a joint effort of Library Affairs, the University Press, and Information Technology at Southern Illinois University.… McCoy, now a resident of Blacksburg, Virginia, is Emeritus Dean of Library Affairs and is known internationally for both his achievements in librarianship and his First Amendment Freedoms scholarship. The private collection of First Amendment materials McCoy acquired in the course of his research is now a part of the First Amendment Freedoms research collection in the Library's Special Collections area and is used by scholars world-wide.
The Media's Ethical Role in Grand Jury Leaks
A debate begun February 1998 * Jeff Greenfield, CNN * Jane Prettyman, TRNP * Gerald F. Uelman, Professor of Law, Santa Clara University, CA * Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker * Anthony Lewis, New York Times * Steven Brill's Starr interview in "Pressgate" * James Doyle, Nieman Fellow, former special assistant to independent prosecutors Leon Jaworksi and Archibald Cox. The Real News Page.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
A "nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal help to reporters and news organizations.…The Committee has also emerged as a major national -- and international -- resource in free speech issues, disseminating information in a variety of forms, including a quarterly legal review, a bi-weekly newsletter, a 24-hour hotline, and various handbooks on media law issues." Resources include the full text of their hypertext First Amendment Handbook

Freedom of Speech

Free Speech Lessons - Cyberspace Law for Non-Lawyers
A distinguished faculty: Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School; David Post, Visiting Associate Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center; and Eugene Volokh teaches free speech law, copyright law, the law of government and religion, and the law of firearms regulation at UCLA Law School. 26 short lessons. Cyberspace-Law for Non-Lawyers is presented by the Cyberspace Law Institute, Social Science Electronic Publishing.
Free Speech Movement Archives
A site dedicated to the movement of the early sixties, begun on the steps of Sproul Hall, UC Berkeley
Freedom of Speech in the United States
Classic free speech decisions, news about the latest controversies and newest books and links to more resources. Thomas L. Tedford University of North Carolina at Greensboro Franklyn S. Haiman Consulting Editor Northwestern University. Provides an especially large and useful links page.
Freedom of Speech, Shielding Children, and Transcending Balancing
Author: Eugene Volokh Organization: UCLA Law School - "The government has a strong interest in shielding children from unsuitable -- because sexually explicit or (perhaps) profane -- speech. So says the Court, and so say even many who generally frown on the regulation of sexually explicit material. At the same time, the Court has held, much speech of this sort is constitutionally valuable. How can these strong competing claims, the government interest and the constitutional right, be reconciled?"
Freedom of Speech vs. Workplace Harassment Law -- A Growing Conflict
"This site is largely composed of excerpts from published law review articles, though modified for readability, and updated to reflect new cases." --Prof. Eugene Volokh, UCLA Law School
Hate Speech
Another page on this site.
Watchtower (Jehovah's Witnesses) Articles on Limiting Freedom of Speech
The Historical Development of Freedom of Speech Freedom of Speech - Is It Being Abused? Freedom of Speech in the Home - Is It a Ticking Time Bomb?
What Things Regulate Speech
Download this Adobe Acrobat document by Larry Lessig, Harvard Law School September 1997.  A link to the Acrobat Reader is provided. Abstract: We come from a tradition of free speech law that thinks primarily about how government regulates speech. We are entering a time when the greatest threat to free speech is no longer government. This essay sketches a more generl model for thinking about speech regulation, and applies it to the problem of filtering speech on the net. Some ranting against PICS, and the CDA also included.

Freedom of Information Act

FOIA Resources - SPJ
"The Society of Professional Journalists maintains this Web site as a tool to help journalists and non-journalists in their quest for information from federal and local governments. It contains valuable information and important links to sites that will help in your FOI searches."
Freedom of Information Act
Full Text of the Act and its amendments
Freedom of Information Center at the Missouri School of Journalism
The Freedom of Information Center is a reference and research library in the University of Missouri School of Journalism on the Campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The National Security Archive
An" independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)."
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Freedom-of-Information Services
An introduction to the Federal FOI Act, FOI Guides and Publications, and fill-in-the-blanks FOI forms
Resources on Freedom of Information Issues
This list is maintained by Professor Barbara Croll Fought at The Newhouse School, Syracuse University.
States' Freedom of Information Laws
A special page within the FACT - First Amendment Cyber-Tribune Web site.
Using the Freedom of Information Act:A Step-by-Step Guide
An American Civil Liberties Union Publication

Book Banning

Banned Books On-Line
A special exhibit of books that have been the objects of censorship or censorship attempts. The books featured here, ranging from Ulysses to Little Red Riding Hood, have been selected from the indexes of the On-line Books Page. See also: The Most Frequently Banned Books in the 1990s
Banned, Censored or Controversial Books in the African American Community
Compiled by Joseph D. Atkinson,III CSUSM Library and Itibari M. Zulu, UCLA Center for African American Studies
Banned Books and Censorship: Information and Resources
Loyola University Chicago Libraries provides links to a variety of resources.
Banned Books Month at the MIT Press Bookstore
List of banned or challenged books includes reasons for the challenge.
Books Frequently Challenged in the 1990s
Bonfire of Liberties: Censorship of the Humanities
An Interactive Humanities Exhibition presented by The Texas Humanities Resource Center

 

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Page updated August 20, 2003