Libby Bakalar The events of this week have the First Amendment on top of everyone’s mind, so I thought I would do a VERY basic and quick review of some key questions about when and how it applies. First, here’s the full text, adopted in 1789: 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. This covers a LOT of rights we think of (and maybe even take for granted) when we think of American democracy: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, separation of church and state, right of assembly/protest, and the right to demand action of your elected officials. The first thing to know is that only the government has to comply with the constitution. It’s a contract between the government and the people. Private companies like Twitter have their own contracts—user agreements—with users. When you sign up for the service, you agree to abide by its terms. That is why Twitter is not violating the constitution by […]
