Topics on the Table Issue 3

In Morse v. Frederick, the Supreme Court sided with school authorities who suspended a student for displaying a banner that read “BONG HiTS 4 JESUS” at an off-campus event during school hours.  The Court ruled that the school administrators’ interest in preventing speech advocating drug use superseded the student’s right to free speech.

Click here to learn more about Morse v. Frederick.

Questions to Consider: 

Do you think the case was rightly decided? 

How is speech that promotes drug use different from anti-war protests or other forms of unpopular speech that have been protected by this Court in the past? 

If school administrators are permitted to outlaw any speech they deem harmful to their students or to the school’s message, what other types of speech could be in jeopardy?

What do you think?>>

Responses:

Name: Chloe, Junior
School: Cornell University

The Supreme Court’s decision in Morse v. Frederick is detrimental to the first amendment right to freedom of speech for public school students. Recently nominated Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito have overstepped their bounds, allowing ideological beliefs to jeopardize fundamental constitutional rights. Justice Alito’s concurrent decision attempts to narrow the scope of the Court’s decision by only restricting student’s freedom of speech concerning illegal drug use. However, I am wary of the current conservative justices utilizing the precedent in Morse as a stepping stone to silence the youth voice. Will school administrators suspend students for protesting the Iraq war, supporting political candidates, or practicing religious freedom? The often boisterous and rebellious opinions of today’s youth must be heard. Students should protest the Iraq War, be angry about global warming, and fight for increased higher education student loans. Let’s hope the Supreme Court decision does not escalate into a means for suppressing the inspirational voice of the youth population!