| A | B |
|---|
| Establishment Clause | The First Amendment guarantee that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" |
| New York Times vs. Sullivan | This Supreme Court case, held in 1964, extended the protections afforded by the press by the free press clause in the Constitution. The Court held that a public official or public figure suing a publisher for libel must first prove that the publisher knowingly published false information. |
| Libel | False written or published statements inteded to damage a person's reputation |
| Slander | False speech intended to damage a person's reputation. |
| Free Exercise Clause | allows you to practice any religion you want or no religion at all |
| Engel vs. Vitale | all school-sponsored prayer is unlawful |
| Everson vs. Board of Education | The Court stressed that the aid (school bussing) went to parents, not directly to religious schools |
| Board of Education of Westside Community Schools vs. Mergens | Public high schools must give religious clubs the same right to use facilities as other groups |
| Lee vs. Weisman | Court struck down rabbi-led prayer at high school graduation ceremonies |
| Santa Fe Independent School District vs. Doe | Court struck down a TX policy that allowed high school students to vote on whether a prayer should be read at a sporting event |
| Lemon vs. Kurtzman | the Court struck down the law reimbursing nonpublic schools for portions of teachers' salaries and instructional materials |
| Epperson vs. Arkansas | The U.S. Supreme Court struck down an Arkansas law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in Arkansas public schools |
| Coercion (force) Test | a law that forces a person to participate in a religious ceremony is unconstitutional. |
| school vouchers | vouchers-parents receive a fixed amount of public funds, called a voucher, to pay for a private or religious school of their choice. |
| Zelman vs. Simmons-Harris | the Court upheld the voucher system |
| Lynch vs. Donnelly | the govt. has the right to celebrate Christmas “in a secular way”. |
| County vs. Greater Pittsburgh ACLU | a nativity scene cannot be placed on govt. property |
| Sherbert v. Verner | states cannot deny job loss benefits to citizens for turning down a job b/c it would require work on the Sabbath |
| Employment Division v. Smith, 1990 | The state can turn down benefits to anyone who lost a job b/c of illegal activity |
| McDaniel v. Paty | the Court struck down a TN law that did not allow clergy members to hold public office |
| Wisconsin v. Yoder | SC ruled that Amish teens could be excused from mandatory school attendance |
| United States v. Lee | Amish must pay Social Securities taxes |
| Goldman v. Weinberger | the Air Force can ban Jewish hats called yarmulkes |
| Brandenburg v. Ohio | speech is protected unless the speaker called for “imminent lawless action.” |
| Schenck v. United States | speech is not protected b/c it presented a “clear & present danger” to the country. |
| Ashcroft v. ACLU | computer generated, “virtual” child pornography that does not use real people is protected |
| Miller v. California | Court ruled that material that might be considered obscene by some people is protected if it has “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” |
| Morse vs. Frederick | The Court ruled that school officials can prohibit students from displaying messages that promote illegal drug use |
| Citizens United vs. F.E.C | corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited |
| Texas v Johnson | flag burning is protected by the 1st Amendment |
| Tinker vs. Des Moines | students were allowed to wear black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War, as long as it did not create a “substantial disruption to the learning environment.” |
| Hustler v. Falwell | public figures have less “privacy” than other citizens since their life is of “legitimate interest” to the public |
| Boy Scouts of America v. Dale | private groups have the right to associate with whom they choose & do not necessarily have to admit everyone who wants to join them |
| New York Times vs. United States | Confirmed the idea of “prior restraint”. |
| New York Times v. Sullivan | Supreme Court decision which established the actual malice standard which has to be met before press reports about public officials or public figures can be considered to be defamation libel. |
| Defamation | to injure or destroy a reputation. |
| Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlmeier | The U.S. Supreme Court held that public school officials may impose some limits on what appears in school-sponsored student publications. |
| District of Columbia vs. Heller | the 2nd Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home |
| Mc Donald vs. Chicago | determined the Second Amendment applied to individual states. |
| Brady Bill | An act of Congress that instituted federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United State |
