Supreme Court : 2006 Term : Morse v. Frederick

Supreme Court : 2006 Term : Morse v. Frederick

Morse v. Frederick, 06-278
02/20/2007
FREE SPEECH

Whether school officials violated the First Amendment when they suspended a high school student for holding up a sign that the principal interpreted as a pro-drug message when the sign caused no disruption, was displayed at a public event on the public streets, and the student had not yet arrived at school for the day. DECIDED
For forty years, the First Amendment has generally protected the right of students to speak on even controversial topics absent evidence that their speech caused substantial disruption within the school. In this case, a high school senior was suspended for holding up a sign at the Olympic Torch Relay in Juneau, Alaska, before he had even arrived at school for the day. Although there was no evidence of disruption, the school justified its action by claiming that the student's sign contained a pro-drug message that was inconsistent with the school's educational mission to discourage drug use. The question presented is whether a school can censor student speech because it disagrees with its message.

Legal Documents
> Morse v. Frederick - Respondent's Brief (2/20/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Alliance Defense Fund (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the American Center for Law and Justice (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Center for Individual Rights (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Christian Legal Society (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Drug Policy Center (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Liberty Counsel (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Liberty Legal Institute (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the National Coalition Against Censorship (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Rutherford Institute (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Student Press Law Center (2/19/2007)
> Amicus Brief of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (2/19/2007)

Press
> ACLU Slams Supreme Court Decision in Student Free Speech Case (6/25/2007)
> Student in Supreme Court Free Speech Case Speaks About Suspension Over "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" Banner (3/2/2007)
> ACLU of Alaska Hails Court Ruling Affirming Student’s Free Speech Rights (3/10/2006)
> ACLU Files Lawsuit Challenging Alaska School District's Censorship of Student's Off-Campus Speech (4/25/2002)

Additional Resources
> Morse v. Frederick: Information and Resources (2/27/2007)