First Five by the Freedom Forum Institute

The First Amendment protects five core freedoms that are under attack every day — from the left, the right, and everywhere in between. First Five strives to foster interest in First Amendment news and provide a platform for discussion among enthusiasts and activists. Column is available weekly for NNA member newspapers to reprint.

‘Be nice’ is not needed during crisis — but a free press is

“Be nice” — two words not found anywhere among the 45 words of the First Amendment. Also not found: “positive,” or “get ya” or “trust.”

Can religious freedom survive COVID-19?

As a child, I attended weekend classes at our local synagogue to learn about Judaism. I remember one lesson above all from those years: past Jewish experience of pogroms and the Holocaust demands that ...

In crisis times, balancing safety and freedom

In times of crisis, safety and freedom may seem like they’re at odds with each other. A society that respects individual liberty can’t implement the same kinds of drastic laws and policies ...

Conditions of possibility for religious freedom

Americans sometimes assume they are equipped with everything they need — laws, policies and cultural norms — to exercise their right to religious freedom. But is that true? What circumstances ...

The First Amendment protects activities adjacent to voting, but stops short of voting itself

The First Amendment protects your right to express yourself freely. While you can do a lot of different things with that freedom, its highest purpose, and the reason that the Constitution's framers ...