First Amendment Litigation in Federal Court

<h2>First Amendment Protections</h2><p>The First Amendment protects five fundamental freedoms: speech, religion (both the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause), press, assembly, and the right to petition the government. Federal courts play a critical role in defining and enforcing these protections through constitutional litigation.</p><h2>Common First Amendment Claims</h2><ul><li><strong>Free speech:</strong> Government censorship, prior restraints, public forum doctrine, commercial speech, student speech</li><li><strong>Religious liberty:</strong> Free Exercise Clause claims, Establishment Clause challenges, RFRA and RLUIPA litigation</li><li><strong>Press freedom:</strong> Prior restraints on publication, reporter's privilege, access to courts and government proceedings</li><li><strong>Retaliation:</strong> Government retaliation for protected speech or petitioning activity</li></ul><h2>Standards of Review</h2><p>First Amendment cases involve varying levels of judicial scrutiny depending on the type of speech restriction. Content-based restrictions face strict scrutiny, content-neutral time/place/manner restrictions face intermediate scrutiny, and commercial speech regulations are evaluated under the <em>Central Hudson</em> test.</p>