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 (U.S.).
The 2nd Amendment states, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The 1st Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a religion and protects each person's right to practice the religion of their choice freely without government interference (The). It also protects each individual's right to speak freely without government interference, and gives the press the right to publish news, information, and opinions without government interference. It means people have the right to publish their own newspapers, newsletters, magazines, etc. The 1st Amendment gives people the right to gather in public, to march, to protests, demonstrate, carry signs and otherwise express their opinions in a nonviolent way. People can join and associate with groups and organizations without government interference. People have the right to appeal to the government in favor of or against policies that affect them or that they feel strongly about. This includes the right to gather signatures in support of a cause and to lobby legislative bodies for or against legislation.
Although the 1st Amendment guarantees the freedom of the press without government interference, there have been several cases in the news lately of reporters jailed or fined for not revealing their confidential sources. One such case is that of the arrest of Matthew Cooper, a top journalist for Time magazine, and the judge has also ordered a $1000 a day fine on the magazine until the beginning of the trial. Cooper refused to disclose his source of information. The
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