The Supreme Court had a lot to say about the various clauses of the first amendment. Sometimes the most important statements a court can make are in its decisions on what cases it will not take up. And that was the case this term, with the high court's refusal to take up the case of Berisha v. Lawson. That is important to the continuing role of the Supreme Court as a protector of freedom of the press, and the uniquely hard time that public figures have in mounting a plausible defamation lawsuit in the United States. The new configuration of Justices has been re-working the religion clauses from scratch in recent years, and that process has continued this term. And there is the much-publicized matter of the cursin' cheerleader to consider. We will contemplate those points in that order today. (The above image is of Mary Beth Tinker, the plaintiff in free-speech-for-minors litigation of more than 50 years ago -- photos taken than and now. her case came to the fore again...