About

Visual First Amendment is an effort to look at the the cases decided by the Supreme Court in a whole new way. The project applies empirical methods and visualization techniques to the study of the freedoms typically understood to make up the First Amendment: Speech, Press, Religion, Petition, and Assembly. The information is then represented in interactive, data-driven visualizations of Supreme Court rulings on cases involving these First Amendment rights.

Visual First Amendment provides a new examination of both quantitative and qualitative factors involved with Supreme Court rulings on the First Amendment. With an emphasis on post World War II cases, these visualizations allow visitors to explore the interrelation of issues, cases, courts, and justices over time, and to consider the broad social and legal changes that have impacted First Amendment rulings. This project aims to provide a deeper understanding of American Constitutional freedoms and to engage citizens in a discussion of rights, as interpreted now and in the future.

Read about Visual First Amendment in the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of Prattfolio