First Amendment Test

We received a 28 out of 30 on the First Amendment Test. We learned that public schools cannot enforce “speech codes” that seek to limit speech that many might find offensive. We thought that perhaps in order to make a learning environment more comfortable for all, they might be able to limit harassment of people for race, religion, gender, etc, but these so-called “speech codes” are considered unconstitutional. We also learned that, in the question posed, “Can a reporter be sent to jail for refusing a judge's order to reveal the identity of his or her news source?” that in fact, the reporter can be sent to jail for this situation. Though there are some protections for reporters working with confidential information, the protection is not absolute. There have been many instances where journalists have accepted the penalty of going to jail in order to honor the confidentiality of the source and the public’s right to know.