Tinker v. Des Moines

Key Quote(s)

"shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,"

When it happened?

1969

It's impact on students' freedom of press?

If students publish a publication that clearly demonstrates any kind of material disruption of any normal school activities or invades any rights of others than the students may be punished.

It's impact on students' freedom of speech?

This was good because the Supreme Court decided that school officials may not punish or prohibit student speech unless they can clearly demonstrate that it will result in material and substantial disruption of normal school activities or invade the rights of others. (YAY!)

Summarize it.

Three Iowa students were suspended by the Des Moines school officials because the students wore black armbands to school to help protest the Vietnam war. This was inspired by the Civil Rights Act, the students were apart of a group of students who wore the armbands as a silent protest in support of a ceasefire in Vietnam. The three students were Mary Beth Tinker (13), her brother John Tinker (15), and her brother's friend Chris Eckhardt (16). Before the students wore the armbands to school, the school made a policy prohibiting the armbands after the student newspaper wrote an article on the armbands. The students were suspended until they agreed to return to school without the armbands. The students reacted to the suspension by taking the school district to court for violating their First Amendment rights & to get the court to permit them to be able to wear the armbands at school. The students won in Supreme Court.

What is the name of the Supreme Court Case?

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District