Case Categories: Espionage Act
- Abrams v. United States (1919)
The dissenting opinion in Abrams v. United States (1919) advanced the free marketplace of ideas even though the majority opinion stifled First Amendment...
- Debs v. United States (1919)
In Debs v. United States (1919), a low point in the protection of free speech during wartime, the Court sustained a socialist leader's conviction under the...
- Dennis v. United States (1951)
Dennis v. United States (1951) applied the First Amendment clear and present danger test to uphold the convictions of U.S.-based communists for their political...
- Frohwerk v. United States (1919)
Frohwerk v. United States (1919) upheld a conviction for an article criticizing World War I while also affirming that First Amendment rights do not disappear...
- Gilbert v. Minnesota (1920)
In Gilbert v. Minnesota, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Joseph Gilbert for criticizing conscription and U.S. participation in World War I...
- Hartzel v. United States (1944)
Hartzel v. United States (1944) overturned a conviction under the Espionage Act of 1917, shifting toward tolerance of First Amendment speech criticizing the war...
- Pierce v. United States (1920)
Pierce v. United States (1920), the last ruling regarding the criminal sections of the Espionage Act, represented another setback for civil liberties in the...
- Schaefer v. United States (1920)
Schaefer v. United States (1920), which upheld convictions for reports hindering the war effort, was representative of setbacks to First Amendment freedoms...
- Schenck v. United States (1919)
Schenck v. United States (1919) demonstrated the limits to the First Amendment during wartime and affirmed the conviction of Charles Schenck for violating the...
- Sugarman v. United States (1919)
Sugarman v. United States (1919) upheld a conviction under the Espionage Act against a challenge that the judge had not given instructions about First Amendment...
- United States ex rel. Milwaukee Social Democratic Publishing Co. v. Burleson (1921)
Milwaukee Social Democratic Publishing Co. v. Burleson (1921) denied mailing privileges to a socialist newspaper. Dissenters said the decision violated the...
- United States v. Morison (4th Cir.) (1988)
United States v. Morison (4th Cir. 1988) upheld the conviction of a Navy employee who had leaked top secret photos. Judges ruled the leak was not protected by...
Recent Posts by Free Speech Center




