“Authoritative interpretations of the First Amendment guarantees have consistently refused to recognize an exception for any test of truth whether administered by judges, juries, or administrative officials and especially one that puts the burden of proving truth on the speaker.” FirstsJudgingProveTestsBurdenOfficialsGuaranteesExceptionInterpretationAmendmentsSpeakersFreedom Of SpeechConsistentlyFirst AmendmentJuryAdministrative Author:William J. Brennan
“The modern public school derived from a philosophy of freedom reflected in the First Amendment ... The non-sectarian or secular public school was the means of reconciling freedom in general with religious freedom.” FirstsMeanPhilosophySchoolReligiousAtheismModernPositive AtheismAmendmentsSecularPublic SchoolFirst AmendmentReligious Freedom Author:William J. Brennan
“All ideas having even the slightest redeeming social importance - unorthodox ideas, controversial ideas, even ideas hateful to the prevailing climate of opinion, have the full protection of the guarantees [of the First Amendment].” FirstsIdeasReligionIndividualSocialJusticeOpinionImportanceConstitutionClimateProtectionGuaranteesAmendmentsFirst AmendmentHatefulControversialPrevailingIndividual RightsRedeemingUnorthodox Author:William J. Brennan
“While the machinery of law enforcement and indeed the nature of crime itself have changed dramatically since the Fourth Amendment became part of the Nation's fundamental law in 1791, what the Framers understood then remains true today - that the task of combating crime and convicting the guilty will in every era seem of such critical and pressing concern that we may be lured by the temptations of expediency into forsaking our commitment to protecting individual liberty and privacy.” MaySeemsTodayLawIndividualNationsLibertyCrimeChangedUnderstoodCommitmentConcernTasksFundamentalsRemainsCriticalTemptationGuiltyErasPrivacyAmendmentsFourthLaw EnforcementEnforcementMachineryIndividual LibertyExpediencyFramersFourth Amendment Author:William J. Brennan
“If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.” IfsFirstsMayIdeasGovernmentPrinciplesExpressionOpennessCensorshipAmendmentsFreedom Of SpeechOffensiveFirst AmendmentDisagreeableBedrockAmendment 1Freedom To ReadAmendment 4Liberty Of SpeechFreedom Of Speech And ExpressionFlag Burning Author:William J. Brennan
