Assembly Clause

E32817

The Assembly Clause is the constitutional provision that protects the right of people in the United States to gather peacefully for protests, meetings, and other collective expression.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf constitutional clause
provision of the United States Constitution
allowsRegulationOf time, place, and manner of assemblies
appliesTo United States federal government
state governments through incorporation via the Fourteenth Amendment
associatedWithConcept collective political participation
freedom of association
public forum doctrine
basisFor constitutional challenges to permit schemes for demonstrations
constitutional challenges to restrictions on protests
conditionedOn peaceable assembly
doesNotProtect riots
violent assemblies
enforcedBy federal courts
state courts
historicalContext adopted in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights
interpretedBy Supreme Court of the United States
jurisdiction United States
languageSource First Amendment text ratified in 1791
limits government power to suppress peaceful gatherings
locatedInDocument Bill of Rights
oftenInterpretedTogetherWith Equal Protection Clause in assembly-related discrimination cases
Free Exercise Clause
partOf First Amendment to the United States Constitution
protectsActivity marches
political rallies
public demonstrations
public meetings in traditional public forums
sit-ins
protectsRight right of the people peaceably to assemble
right to demonstrate peacefully
right to engage in collective expression
right to hold public meetings
right to join with others for expressive purposes
right to organize protests
relatedTo Free Speech Clause
Petition Clause
subjectTo content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions
textIncludes "the right of the people peaceably to assemble"
usedInCase Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence
Cox v. Louisiana
De Jonge v. Oregon
Edwards v. South Carolina
Hague v. CIO
McCullen v. Coakley
NAACP v. Alabama
Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
containsClause

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