Topics: Laws and Proposed Laws, 1900-1950

• Communications Act of 1934 (1934)

  The Communications Act of 1934 set out a framework for regulating television and radio. It established the Federal Communications Commission and required...

• Criminal Syndicalism Laws

  Thousands of Americans were arrested under criminal syndicalism laws in the late 1910s and early 1920s despite being in direct opposition to the First Amendment...

• Equal Time Rule

  The federal equal time rule requires broadcasters to treat political candidates equally in terms of air time. Some see the rule as a violation of First...

• Espionage Act of 1917 (1917)

  The Espionage Act of 1917 strictly limited the release of information that might work against the war effort, including dissent normally protected by the First...

• Fairness Doctrine

  A policy of the Federal Communications Commission, the fairness doctrine attempted to ensure that broadcast stations’ coverage of controversial issues was...

• McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 (1950)

  The McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 required Communist organizations to register with the government, posing a risk to First Amendment freedoms of...

• Sedition Act of 1918 (1918)

  The Sedition Act of 1918 curtailed the free-speech rights of U.S. citizens during World War I. The law overstepped the bounds of First Amendment freedoms...

• Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 (1950)
• Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 (1947)
• Tillman Act of 1907 (1907)

  The Tillman Act of 1907, the first federal effort to regulate campaign finance in U.S. elections, banned corporations from expending treasury money to influence...

• Wireless Ship Act of 1910 (1910)