Title: The Constitution doesn't have a problem with mask mandates
Headings: The Constitution doesn’t have a problem with mask mandates
The Constitution doesn’t have a problem with mask mandates
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The objections
What the First Amendment does – and doesn’t – do
The right to liberty
Rights are conditional

Content: What the First Amendment does – and doesn’t – do
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, press, petition, assembly and religion. There are two reasons why mask mandates don’t violate the First Amendment. First, a mask doesn’t keep you from expressing yourself. At most, it limits where and how you can speak. Constitutional law scholars and judges call these “time, place, and manner” restrictions. If they do not discriminate on the basis of the content of the speech, such restrictions do not violate the First Amendment. An example of a valid time, place and manner restriction would be a law that limits political campaigning within a certain distance of a voting booth. Additionally, the First Amendment, like all liberties ensured by the Constitution, is not absolute. All constitutional rights are subject to the goverment’s authority to protect the health, safety and welfare of the community. This authority is called the “ police power .”