There is no way to predict what will occur in the future, but one thing is for certain and that is that the United States Government will continue to use the first amendment in all its efforts to restrict speech. The fact that it has been adopted as part of the Constitution means that the constitution guarantees the right to speak freely and to petition the government for redress of grievances. In fact, the United States Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the first amendment protects the right to speak out. However, other portions of the constitution have limits on this right. For example, freedom of speech cases have determined that a state cannot limit a citizens right to free speech based solely on the content of that speech.
The second amendment on the constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms: The court has held that the first amendment gives people the right to protest peacefully, without physically violence. This right against violence is considered broad enough to include the carrying of guns when participating in a peaceful protest. Even when there is a gun present, however, the right to peaceful protest still exists.
Another example involves charges of hate speech: If a person is convicted of making statements that are racist, anti-semitic, or biased in any way, they may be penalized. A famous case involved charges of hate speech by the Ku Klux Klan. Several Klansmen were arrested for saying things about Jews and Christians at public places such as church. After a lengthy trial, a New York court found that the charges against the men were illegitimate and that they had used the words without meaning anything negative about the three groups.
In another example: a candidate for a local government position was cleared of all charges after a lengthy investigation. A grand jury was asked to look into the matter and determine if there were any criminal intentions towards the candidates running for office. The grand jury determined there were no grounds to bring charges against the candidates.
The first amendment protects: the right of assembly, press, and petition from unlawful action by the government. It also protects the right of people to speak freely on various topics, both government and private. The government has the right to ban organizations from the free exercise of their rights. The government can mandate which types of literature it will permit.
There have been many controversial debates over: what rights people have in terms of speech and the press. Most of the country believes that the press must be free to report anything that they want to publish. Other countries have different views on this. The example given above shows how complicated the topic can be.