Case Categories: Freedom of Assembly

Governments may not violate the constitutional right of peaceable assembly, which is one of the rights outlined in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Following are several cases related to the right of freedom of assembly, including the landmark case De Jong v. Oregon in 1937.

• Bates v. Little Rock (1960)

  In Bates v. Little Rock (1960), the Court affirmed that freedom of association finds protection within the First Amendment’s free speech and assembly clauses...

• Carroll v. President and Commissioners of Princess Anne (1968)

  Carroll v. President and Commissioners of Princess Anne (1968) said an injunction to keep a white supremacist group from rallying violated the First Amendment...

• Coates v. City of Cincinnati (1971)

  Coates v. City of Cincinnati (1971) said an ordinance making it a crime for three or more to gather in public and engage in “annoying conduct" violated the...

• Cox v. Louisiana (1965)

  In Cox v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court overturned a state law used to arrest civil rights marchers saying the law infringed upon freedoms of assembly and speech...

• De Jonge v. Oregon (1937)

  De Jonge v. Oregon (1937) said that state governments may not violate the First Amendment right of peaceable assembly. The decision contributed to symbolic...

• Edwards v. South Carolina (1963)

  Edwards v. South Carolina (1963) said South Carolina violated students’ First Amendment rights when the police dispersed a peaceful protest against...

• Gregory v. City of Chicago (1969)

  In Gregory v. City of Chicago, the Court upheld the First Amendment rights of peaceful protestors over police attempting to quell anticipated civil disorder...

• Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization (1939)

  Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization (1939) dealt with the freedom of assembly and set the precedent for the public forum doctrine in First Amendment...

• Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham (1969)

  Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham (1969) ruled that the conviction of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth for leading a protest march without a permit violated the First...

• Thomas v. Collins (1945)

  In Thomas v. Collins (1945), a labor case, the Supreme Court enunciated the preferred position doctrine for First Amendment freedoms of speech and assembly...

• United States v. Cruikshank (1876)

  U.S. v. Cruikshank (1876), which arose out of the Colfax Massacre, is important in First Amendment jurisprudence for statements made about freedom of peaceable...