Facts of the Case In 1968, Paul Robert Cohen was arrested in the Los Angeles County Courthouse for wearing a jacket emblazoned with the words “F*** the Draft” to protest the Vietnam War. He was charged under a California law that prohibited “maliciously and willfully disturbing the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or person […]
Tag: freedom of speech
Supreme Court Overturns Injunction Limiting Contact Between Government Officials & Social Media Companies
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out claims that the Biden administration unlawfully coerced social media companies into removing contentious content. In reaching its conclusion, the court overturned an injunction that would have limited contacts between government officials and social media companies on a wide range of issues if allowed to go into […]
Schenck v. United States
Schenck v. United States, Supreme Court, 1919 Facts of the Case During World War I, Charles Schenck, the General Secretary of the Socialist Party, distributed leaflets urging resistance to the draft. The leaflets argued that the draft violated the Thirteenth Amendment’s prohibition against involuntary servitude and encouraged draftees to petition for the repeal of the […]
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, Supreme Court, 1969 Facts of the Case In December 1965, a group of students in Des Moines, Iowa, decided to wear black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. The school authorities learned of the plan and preemptively announced a policy banning the wearing of armbands, […]
Bethel School District v. Fraser
Bethel School District v. Fraser, Supreme Court, 1986 Facts of the Case In April 1983, Matthew Fraser, a high school student in the Bethel School District in Washington, delivered a speech nominating a fellow student for a student government position during a school assembly. The speech contained sexual innuendos and vulgar language, though it did […]
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, Supreme Court, 1943 Facts of the Case In 1942, the West Virginia State Board of Education mandated that all students and teachers participate in a daily flag salute and pledge of allegiance. Refusal to comply was considered insubordination and could result in expulsion for students and dismissal […]
Morse v. Frederick
Morse v. Frederick, Supreme Court, 2007 Facts of the Case In January 2002, Joseph Frederick, a high school student in Juneau, Alaska, displayed a banner reading “BONG HiTS 4 JESUS” during a school-supervised event. The event was held to watch the Olympic Torch relay pass through the city. Deborah Morse, the school principal, demanded that […]