The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “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.”
It is frequently invoked to support legal protection for the freedom of speech, but the First Amendment safeguards several other rights, too. It shields the freedom of religion, and it prohibits the establishment of a national religion. It protects the media’s ability to report to the public. It shelters the right to assembly and the related freedom of association. Finally, the First Amendment ensures that we can bring our concerns to the government’s attention via the right to petition.
Although the First Amendment refers specifically to protecting these rights from being violated by Congress, they are also protected from infringement by other branches of the federal government. Since 1925, these rights are also incorporated, meaning that they cannot be violated by state or local governments.