List of United States Supreme Court cases involving the First Amendment
This is a list of cases that appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States involving the First Amendment to the United States Constitution .
The establishment of religion
Blue laws
Cochran v. Louisiana State Board of Education , 281 U.S. 370 (1930)
Everson v. Board of Education , 330 U.S. 1 (1947)
Board of Ed. of Central School Dist. No. 1 v. Allen , 392 U.S. 236 (1968)
Lemon v. Kurtzman , 403 U.S. 602 (1971)
Tilton v. Richardson , 403 U.S. 672 (1971)
Lemon v. Kurtzman II , 411 U.S. 192 (1973)
Levitt v. Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty , 413 U.S. 472 (1973)
Hunt v. McNair , 413 U.S. 734 (1973)
Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Nyquist , 413 U.S. 756 (1973)
Sloan v. Lemon , 413 U.S. 825 (1973)
Wheeler v. Barrera , 417 U.S. 402 (1974)
Public Funds for Public Schools v. Marburger (1974)
Meek v. Pittenger , 421 U.S. 349 (1975)
Roemer v. Board of Public Works of Maryland , 426 U.S. 736 (1976)
Wolman v. Walter , 433 U.S. 229 (1977)
New York v. Cathedral Academy , 434 U.S. 125 (1977)
Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Regan , 444 U.S. 646 (1980)
Mueller v. Allen , 463 U.S. 388 (1983)
School Dist. of Grand Rapids v. Ball , 473 U.S. 373 (1985)
Aguilar v. Felton , 473 U.S. 402 (1985)
Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind , 474 U.S. 481 (1986)
Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District , 509 U.S. 1 (1993)
Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet , 512 U.S. 687 (1994)
Agostini v. Felton , 521 U.S. 203 (1997)
Mitchell v. Helms , 530 U.S. 793 (2000)
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris , 536 U.S. 639 (2002)
Locke v. Davey , 540 U.S. 712 (2004)
Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn , 563 U.S. 125 (2011)
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue [ 1] , 591 U.S. 125 (2020)
Legislative prayer
Internal religious affairs (also involving the Free Exercise Clause)
Ministerial exception
Private religious speech
Religion in public schools
McCollum v. Board of Education , 333 U.S. 203 (1948)
Zorach v. Clauson , 343 U.S. 306 (1952)
Engel v. Vitale , 370 U.S. 421 (1962)
Abington School District v. Schempp , 374 U.S. 203 (1963)
Epperson v. Arkansas , 393 U.S. 97 (1968)
Stone v. Graham , 449 U.S. 39 (1980)
Wallace v. Jaffree , 472 U.S. 38 (1985)
Edwards v. Aguillard , 482 U.S. 578 (1987)
Westside Community Board of Education v. Mergens , 496 U.S. 226 (1990)
Lee v. Weisman , 505 U.S. 577 (1992)
Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe , 530 U.S. 290 (2000)
Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow , 542 U.S. 1 (2004)
Kennedy v. Bremerton School District , No. 21-418 , 597 U.S. ___ (2022)
Religious institution functioning as a government agency
Standing to sue
Statutory religious exemptions
Unequal government treatment of different religious groups
Abortion and contraception
Other
The free exercise of religion
Exclusion of religion from public benefits
Polygamy
Free exercise and eminent domain
Free exercise and free speech
Free exercise and public education
Free exercise and public property
Internal religious affairs (also involving the Establishment Clause)
Ministerial exception
Religion and the right to work
Religious tests for public service or benefits
Ritual sacrifice of animals
Solicitation by religious groups
Statutory religious exemptions
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
Other
Freedom of speech
Campaign finance
Buckley v. Valeo , 424 U.S. 1 (1976)
First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti , 435 U.S. 765 (1978)
California Medical Association v. FEC , 453 U.S. 182 (1981)
Citizens Against Rent Control v. City of Berkeley , 454 U.S. 290 (1981)
FEC v. National Right to Work Committee , 459 U.S. 197 (1982)
FEC v. National Conservative PAC , 470 U.S. 480 (1985)
FEC v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life , 479 U.S. 238 (1986)
Eu v. S.F. Cty. Democratic Cent. Comm. , 489 U.S. 214 (1989)
Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce , 494 U.S. 652 (1990)
Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. FEC , 518 U.S. 604 (1996)
Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC , 528 U.S. 377 (2000)
FEC v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee , 533 U.S. 431 (2001)
Republican Party of Minnesota v. White , 536 U.S. 765 (2002)
FEC v. Beaumont , 539 U.S. 146 (2003)
McConnell v. FEC , 540 U.S. 93 (2003)
Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. FEC , 546 U.S. 410 (2006)
Randall v. Sorrell , 548 U.S. 230 (2006)
FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. , 551 U.S. 449 (2007)
Davis v. FEC , 554 U.S. 724 (2008)
Citizens United v. FEC , 558 U.S. 310 (2010)
Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett , 564 U.S. 721 (2011)
American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock , 567 U.S. 516 (2012)
McCutcheon v. FEC , 572 U.S. 185 (2014)
Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar , No. 13-1499 , 575 U.S. ___ (2015)
Thompson v. Hebdon , No. 19-122 , 589 U.S. ___ (2019)
FEC v. Ted Cruz for Senate , No. 21-12 , 596 U.S. ___ (2022)
Commercial speech
Compelled commercial speech
Compelled subsidy for speech of others
Cases that consider the First Amendment implications of payments mandated by the state going to use in part for speech by third parties
Loyalty oaths and affirmations
Content-based
Content-neutral
Sedition and imminent danger
False speech
Fighting words and the heckler's veto
Freedom of assembly and public forums
Time, place and manner
Cases concerning restrictions on the time, place, and manner of speech
Government speech
Cases pertaining to whether or not extending protections to speech constitutes government endorsement of speech.
Government-subsidized speech
Cases about restrictions on speech by third parties funded by the government.
Obscenity
Generally
Cases concerned with the definition of obscenity and whether a particular work or type of material is obscene.
As criminal offense
Appeals of criminal convictions for possessing, selling or distributing obscenity that focused on that issue
Search, seizure and forfeiture
Cases involving the search and seizure of allegedly obscene material
Civil and administrative regulation
Cases dealing with civil and administrative regulatory procedures aimed at suppressing or restricting obscenity, such as film-licensing boards or zoning regulations.
Internet
Cases involving laws meant to restrict obscenity online
Public employees
Public school students
Speech by students in public secondary schools
Retaliation by public officials
Cases in which it has been alleged governmental officials retaliated for protected speech made by private citizens who are not employed by said officials.
Symbolic speech
Freedom of the press
Defamation
Prior restraints and censorship
Privacy
Search and seizure
Taxation and privileges
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of association
Freedom to petition
References
Further reading
List of cases by Court Seal of the United States Supreme Court Complete list By recent term By subject matter Other lists
Public displays and ceremonies Statutory religious exemptions Public funding Religion in public schools Private religious speech Internal church affairs Taxpayer standing Blue laws Other
Unprotected speech
Incitement and sedition Defamation andfalse speech Fighting words and the heckler's veto True threats Obscenity
Rosen v. United States (1896)
United States v. One Book Called Ulysses (S.D.N.Y. 1933)
Roth v. United States (1957)
One, Inc. v. Olesen (1958)
Smith v. California (1959)
Marcus v. Search Warrant (1961)
MANual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day (1962)
Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964)
Quantity of Books v. Kansas (1964)
Ginzburg v. United States (1966)
Memoirs v. Massachusetts (1966)
Redrup v. New York (1967)
Ginsberg v. New York (1968)
Stanley v. Georgia (1969)
United States v. Thirty-seven Photographs (1971)
Kois v. Wisconsin (1972)
Miller v. California (1973)
Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton (1973)
United States v. 12 200-ft. Reels of Film (1973)
Jenkins v. Georgia (1974)
Southeastern Promotions, Ltd. v. Conrad (1975)
Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville (1975)
Young v. American Mini Theatres, Inc. (1976)
Vance v. Universal Amusement Co., Inc. (1980)
American Booksellers Ass'n, Inc. v. Hudnut (7th Cir. 1985)
People v. Freeman (Cal. 1988)
United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc. (1994)
Reno v. ACLU (1997)
United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc. (2000)
City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc. (2002)
Ashcroft v. ACLU I (2002)
United States v. American Library Ass'n (2003)
Ashcroft v. ACLU II (2004)
Nitke v. Gonzales (S.D.N.Y. 2005)
United States v. Williams (2008)
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression v. Strickland (6th Cir. 2009)
United States v. Kilbride (9th Cir. 2009)
United States v. Stevens (2010)
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass'n (2011)
FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. (2012)
Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton (2025)
Speech integral to criminal conduct
Strict scrutiny Overbreadth Vagueness Symbolic speech versus conductContent-based restrictions Content-neutral restrictions
Compelled speech Compelled subsidy of others' speech
Government grants and subsidies Government as speaker Loyalty oaths School speech Public employees Hatch Act and similar lawsLicensing and restriction of speech Commercial speech
Valentine v. Chrestensen (1942)
Rowan v. U.S. Post Office Dept. (1970)
Pittsburgh Press Co. v. Pittsburgh Comm'n on Human Relations (1973)
Lehman v. Shaker Heights (1974)
Goldfarb v. Virginia State Bar (1975)
Bigelow v. Virginia (1975)
Virginia State Pharmacy Bd. v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council (1976)
Linmark Assoc., Inc. v. Township of Willingboro (1977)
Carey v. Population Services International (1977)
Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977)
In re Primus (1978)
Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Association (1978)
Friedman v. Rogers (1979)
Consol. Edison Co. v. Public Serv. Comm'n (1980)
Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission (1980)
Metromedia, Inc. v. San Diego (1981)
In re R.M.J. (1982)
Hoffman Estates v. The Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. (1982)
Zauderer v. Off. of Disciplinary Counsel of Supreme Court of Ohio (1985)
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Comm'n of California (1986)
Posadas de Puerto Rico Assoc. v. Tourism Co. of Puerto Rico (1986)
San Francisco Arts & Athletics, Inc. v. U.S. Olympic Committee (1987)
Shapero v. Kentucky Bar Association (1988)
Riley v. Nat'l Fed'n of the Blind (1988)
State University of New York v. Fox (1989)
Peel v. Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of Illinois (1990)
City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network (1993)
Edenfield v. Fane (1993)
United States v. Edge Broadcasting Co. (1993)
Ibanez v. Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation, Bd. of Accountancy (1994)
Lebron v. National Railroad Passenger Corp. (1995)
Rubin v. Coors Brewing Co. (1995)
Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc. (1995)
44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island (1996)
Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliot, Inc. (1997)
Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Assn., Inc. v. United States (1999)
Los Angeles Police Department v. United Reporting Publishing Co. (1999)
United States v. United Foods Inc. (2001)
Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly (2001)
Thompson v. Western States Medical Center (2002)
Nike, Inc. v. Kasky (2003)
Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Ass'n (2005)
Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. v. Brentwood Academy (2007)
Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, P.A. v. United States (2010)
Jerman v. Carlisle, McNellie, Rini, Kramer & Ulrich LPA (2010)
Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. (2011)
Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman (2017)
Matal v. Tam (2017)
Iancu v. Brunetti (2019)
Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants (2020)
Vidal v. Elster (2024)
Campaign finance and political speechAnonymous speech State action Official retaliation Boycotts Prisons
Organizations Future Conduct Solicitation Membership restriction Primaries and elections