Facts
What city and state did this case take place in?
Des Moines, Iowa.
Which amendment protects freedom of speech?
The first amendment.
Name 1 of the TINKER students.
John TINKER, or Mary Beth TINKER.
Which court made the final decision?
the U.S. supreme court.
who won the case?
the students.
What did the students wear to school?
Black armbands.
what type of speech were the armbands an example of?
symbolic speech.
Who was Mary Beth tinker?
John Tinker's sister and a junior high student.
In what year was the case decided?
1969
did the supreme court agree that the students first amendment rights were violated?
yes.
What were the students protesting?
The Vietnam war.
Do students have first amendment rights?
yes.
What did the students do to express their opinion?
They wore black armbands.
what was the vote in the supreme court
7-2 in favor of the students
what famous phrase is associated with this case?
Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate
What happened to the students who refused to remove the armbands?
They were suspended from school.
What does the first amendment protect in this case?
Students freedom of speech and expression.
were the students being violent or disruptive while wearing the armbands?
No.
who wrote the majority opinion?
Justice Abe Fortes
can schools ever limit student of speech?
yes to an extent unless it causes a disruption.
Why did the school say it could ban the armbands?
School officials believed they cause a disruption.
What important idea did the court establish about students rigths?
Students do not lose their constitutional rights simply because they are at school.
Why was their protest considered protected expression?
it was peaceful.
what did the supreme court say schools cannot do without sufficient justification?
they cannot restrict student expression simply because they fear it might cause a disruption.
what is the main lesson throughout the case.
public school students have first amendment rights, but those rights can be limited when their speech substantially disrupts school or infringes on others rights.