Question

Briefly explain ONE way the Warren Court expanded the 1st Amendment.

Answer 1

The Supreme Court during chief justice Earl Warren's16 year tenure made decisions that impacted and continue to impact the lives of Americans to date. The Warren court was not only devoted to protecting the rights of citizens, but also expanding them.

Answer 2

Known as the Warren Court, this period is known as the period Earl Warren served as Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court (from 1953 to 1969). It was an Activist Court that expanded individual rights and power of the federal government to enforce civil rights legislation.

One example that the Warren Court expanded the First Amendment was the expansion of Freedom of Religion. In the case Sherbert v. Verner in 1963 the Supreme Court decided that if an employee can prove their religious conflicts they are protected by law from discrimination. In the case Engel v. Vitale in 1962 the Court ruled that it was illegal for states to require official school prayers to be recited by students and in Abington Township School District v. Schempp in 1963, the Court ruled that school-sponsored Bible readings were unconstitutional.