Censoring Christmas at the Bus Stop

by Charlotte Allen

When the Catholic Archdiocese of D.C. proposed a Christmas-themed poster for public buses, the city rejected it—the ad was not secular enough. Continue Reading »

25 Dec 2017

You Can Say That

by Mark Bauerlein

While I was talking with our longtime contributor Hadley Arkes this month, he quoted a statement that I haven’t been able to get out of my head: “One man’s vulgarity is another’s lyric.” It’s a simple maxim, easy to remember, with balance and brevity plus the air of a schoolmarm’s . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Apple Sabotages Itself

by Justin Lee

Apple’s decision to advocate for expansive LGBT rights in an upcoming Supreme Court case could prove inimical to Apple’s corporate interests. Continue Reading »

24 Nov 2017

Free Exercise, Penance, and Delaware Court

by John M. Grondelski

Regular First Things readers know that the late Father Richard John Neuhaus never tired of arguing that the First Amendment contains not two religion clauses but one: “no establishment” and “free exercise” are not two free-floating provisions at occasional loggerheads with each other but . . . . Continue Reading »

9 Feb 2016

Recasting Religious Freedom

by Hadley Arkes

Few among us concerned for the defense of religious freedom can doubt that these have become dark times indeed. Most recently, arguments have been brought before the Supreme Court—there has been a veritable cascade of briefs—against the government on Obamacare. Many of these have one way . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Jun 2014

We Need More First Amendment Freedom, Not Less

by Mario Diaz

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously wrote that the answer to objectionable speech “is more speech, not enforced silence.” This seems a most reasonable proposition. If you are offended by someone’s position, you can counter it with your own arguments and expose their error for the world to see and reject. It is a concept that has served our Republic well in the fight for liberty and freedom. Continue Reading »

13 May 2014

The Curious Case of Free Exercise

by Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain

On June 1, 1925, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in  Pierce v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. The decision responded to two appeals brought by Walter Pierce, the governor of Oregon, about the Oregon Compulsory Education Act of 1922, a voter-passed . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2007