This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. During the tumultuous tussle between Congress and President Donald J. Trump in recent weeks over stimulus payments and defense spending, a once-little-known and irrelevant piece of legislation dating back to 1996 kept popping up as a potential deal-breaker.
Did the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Restrictions at Houses of Worship Herald a Big Shift? Maybe Not
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. Just before midnight on Thanksgiving Eve, the Supreme Court issued an opinion that undoubtedly disrupted turkey day for those who monitor the evolution of First Amendment doctrine — but did not appear to break new legal ground.
Justice Alito Sees Danger Ahead for First Amendment Religion and Speech Rights
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. In a fiery speech Nov. 12 before the Federalist Society, conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. offered a list of grievances about the state of individual rights in America, from the “unimaginable restrictions” imposed because of the pandemic to the […]
U.S. Supreme Court Considers Case at the Crossroads of Religious Freedom and LGBTQ Rights
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in an important First Amendment case that could result in a changed interpretation of the clause that protects the free exercise of religion.
Supreme Court Halts Ruling Aimed at Stifling the Right to Protest
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a lower court ruling, temporarily at least, that would have weakened the judiciary’s longstanding tradition of protecting the rights of protesters under the First Amendment’s rights of assembly and petition.
Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s Slim Judicial Record on First Amendment Issues
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. Judge Amy Coney Barrett has a slim judicial record on First Amendment issues.
When RBG Took the Supreme Court to School on Jewish Traditions
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. In articles and eulogies after the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18, it was often mentioned that the door of her court chambers was adorned with a large silver mezuzah.
At the Supreme Court, Another Step Toward Transparency, But It Has More to Go
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. It did not make headlines, but the U.S. Supreme Court recently took a small but important nod toward greater transparency and adherence to the First Amendment.
Did Georgia School Officials Forget That the First Amendment Protects Students Too?
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. Fifty-one years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unequivocally that public school students are protected by the First Amendment.
‘Prior Restraint’ Doctrine Plays a Key First Amendment Role in Trump’s Book Lawsuits
This column expresses the views of Tony Mauro, special correspondent for the Freedom Forum. As President Trump’s lawyers have sought ways to block the distribution of books by his niece Mary Trump and his former national security adviser John Bolton, Trump’s adversaries are invoking a tenet of press freedom that dates back at least four […]