Past and Present

Past & Present: The Limits Of Free Speech


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On Nov. 10, 1919, the U.S. Supreme Court decided its second First Amendment case in two weeks. In Abrams v. U.S., the federal government asked the court to uphold the 1918 Amendment to Espionage Act of 1917, better known as the Sedition Act, which made it a criminal offense to suggest ending war-time production. In a 7-2 decision, the court upheld the Sedition Act, applied the two-week-old "clear and present danger" doctrine, and ignited a conversation on the limitations of free speech that
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