By: Kristopher L. Caudle* The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides two fundamental guarantees for all citizens: The government shall not establish an official religion; and the government shall not infringe upon a citizen’s right to freely exercise their chosen religion. However, the Supreme Court continues to recognize areas where there is ample …
By: Morgan McNeil The University of North Carolina has been no stranger to the spotlight recently. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, UNC alum, gained notoriety when she publicly accused then-Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. And amidst the Silent Sam scandal, the Daily Tar Heel Media Group, the parent company of The Daily Tar Heel, …
By: Athina Hinson-Boyte Just Mercy In December, the film adaptation of Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy was released in theaters. It tells the true story of Walter McMillian, a young black man who was sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. The book shows the injustices and racism of the criminal system …
As the world still reels from the COVID-19 outbreak, UNC Law (and its many student-led organizations, like First Amendment Law Review) is learning how to best react to the virus. Accordingly, our journal (and all of the effort it requires–writing, editing, staff meetings, and the like) is now operating remotely. We appreciate your patience as …
Happy Monday! Although FALR staffers are enjoying a week of Spring Break, First Amendment doesn’t stop! Here are some recent headlines: The Oklahoma House of Representatives has passed a bill that prohibits the state from contracting with any companies that boycott Israel. The law states that the Oklahoma “shall not enter into a contract with …
By: Mannirmal Jawa Across the Southern United States, Confederate monuments stand on government property as active souvenirs of the Jim Crow era. Local governments that try to remove the statues sometimes run into hurdles. For example, sometimes members of the public protest the removal; the infamous Unite the Right rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville …
By: Tisha Martin Last August, an Oklahoma District Court Judge held Johnson & Johnson liable for its role in the opioid epidemic in Oklahoma. Oklahoma brought its case against the pharmaceutical company under public nuisance law. The court’s ruling—that a company can be held liable under public nuisance law for the effects of their advertisements—is …
Virginia lawmakers have repealed a centuries-old, vague profanity law. The statute criminalized “any person [who] profanely curses or swears” and made any violation thereof a Class 4 misdemeanor. While Virginia joins a host of states who have already repealed such laws, many states still retain profanity statutes. As one spokesman for Virginia’s governor—who is expected …
By: Tim Sookram On May 21, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights promulgated the final version of the “Conscience Rule,” a regulation aimed at protecting the rights of those who cite religious grounds in refusing to perform or assist with certain health care services. Opponents have decried the …
By: Zachary Tooman Lamenting Richard Nixon’s nomination of William Rehnquist for Associate Justice in December 1971, Dr. Hunter Thompson labeled Rehnquist a “vengeful geek” who would, along with fellow nominee Lewis Powell, “reduce the U.S. Supreme Court to the level of a piss-poor bowling team in Memphis,” and create a “disastrous, nazi-bent shift of the …