That standard remains relevant today and helped defeat politically correct speech codes that would have censored far-less harmful speech. Perhaps the longest-lasting contribution the Witnesses made to First Amendment freedoms came in a 1940 case, Cantwell vs. Connecticut. Conn. Before the Cantwell decision, it was not legally clear that the First Amendment protected religious practitioners against restrictions at the state and local levels as well as federal. But the Supreme Court in Cantwell said it did, thereby ushering in an era of greatly strengthened religious freedom. All religions have the Jehovah's Witnesses to thank for the expansion of that freedom.
Witnesses make scant mention of their persecution and their legal battles.
Unlike other groups, the Witnesses have not resorted to televangelism and don't claim a high-profile presence in society.