Bill of Rights
First Amendment
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.
Chronology of the First Admendment
Pledge of Allegiance Controversy
Freedom to Associate or Not Associate
Regulation of Obscenity and Nudity
Regulation of Indecent Speech ("Four Letter Words")
Restricting Speech in a Designated Public Forum
Restricting Speech in a Non-Public Forum
Time, Place, and Manner Restrictions on Speech
The Establishment Clause and Religious Freedom
First Amendment Overview by the Legal Information Institute
Recent U.S. Supreme Court freedom of the press decisions
Freedom of Press/Information issues
Presented by the First Amendment Center
The library provides books, reports, and articles on media activism, media policy, society, culture, and democracy, indexed by issue area.
Free Press is a non-profit organization working to involve the public in media policymaking and to craft policies for a more democratic media system.
U.S. Supreme Court cases on free press issues
U.S. Supreme Court cases on patriotism and free speech issues
U.S. Supreme Court cases on Fair Trial vs. Free Press
The Free Expression Policy Project
A think tank promoting artictic and intellectual freedom.
Church and State Issues
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
Church and State: The Separation Illusion
Politics and Economy: God and Government
NOW with David Brancaccio
Separation of Church and State: A First Amendment Primer
The Anti-Defamation League's article: Separation: Good for Government, Good for Religion.
Religious Freedom: Separation of Church and State
Fairness.com's mission is to help you decide for yourself what's fair in a given situation.
Case Study on Religious Freedom
Matthew Hale at Northwestern University
Hale's World Church of the Creator (WCOTC)
Second Amendment
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Gun Laws, Gun Control and Gun Rights
Gun Ownership: A Constitutional Right
The Second Amendment Foundation
Yahoo News: The Gun Control Debate
The Second Amendment: The Right to Bear Arms?
Gun Scholar: Links to Gun-Related Information
Gun Rights
Gun Control Supporters
Gun-Related News and State Laws
Gun Control Debate in the News
Jurist Legal Education Network Guide to Gun Laws
Criminal Law and Procedure: Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments
Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and paticularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment of indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any riminal cases to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Sixth Amendment
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Eighth Amendment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excesive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Nolo Press Articles on Criminal Law and Procedure
What Makes a Case a Criminal Case?
How Are People Charged With Crimes?
Defendants' Rights Guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution
Basics of Criminal Prosecution: Presumption of Innocence
Trial by Jury, Felonies vs. Misdemeanors and Convictions
Common Defenses to Criminal Charges
What Happens in Juvenile Court?
Fourth Amendment
Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure
Search and Seizure Update (2003)
Crime Control vs. Protection of Due Process
U.S. Supreme Court Cases on the Fourth Amendment
The Fourth Amendment: Constitutional Protection for the Home
The Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure
Fourth Amendment Search and Seizure
U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia Search and Seizure cases
Eighth Amendment
The A.C.L.U. and the Death Penalty
Death Penalty and the Eighth Amendment
Eighth Amendment: Further Guarantees in Criminal Cases
Introduction to the Eighth Amendment
Eighth Amendment and Capital Punishment