Freedom of Assembly
Freedom of Assembly is
important to our democracy.
In addition to expressing our
opinions individually, people
need to be able to gather in
groups to let their collective
voice be heard. This could be
to protest an unfair law, to
support an overlooked group
in society, or to rally together
to help a candidate get elected.
In Edwards v. South Carolina (1963), the
Supreme Court threw out the convictions
of 187 students who had marched to the
capital to protest racism. The opinion said
that a state may not "make criminal the
peaceful expression of unpopular views."
“Occupy Boston”
One vs. Many
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY guarantees the right
of a group to gather for expression, so in this
case it would be “the few.” Any kind of
minority group—religious, ethnic, political—
need to be able to assemble to have their voice
heard. At the same time, the rights of “the
many,” in this case the public at large, include
not having expression forced upon them as well
as it not occurring in a manner that poses a
danger to others. It should not unreasonably
interfere with daily life of the community.
Protesters Disrupt Traffic
on Hart Bridge, I-95
Demonstrators were arrested in
Jacksonville, FL. The arrest
was not because authorities
wanted to silence their
message, but because they
were disrupting traffic and
causing public danger. In this
case, the rights of “the few”
were taken too far and
interfered with the rights of
“the many.”
First Coast News, 12/09/2014
Resources
• billofrightsinstitute.org
• constitutioncenter.org
• oyez.org