Problem
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN? Personal Rights - Protest, Speech, Privacy
I. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
John and Mary Beth Tinker of Des Moines, Iowa, wore black armbands to their public school as a symbol of protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War. When school authorities asked that the Tinkers remove their armbands, they refused and were subsequently suspended. What do you think should have happened? How would the current SCOTUS have decided? What actually happened?
II. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
Hazelwood East High School Principal Robert Reynolds procedurally reviewed the Spectrum, the school's student-written newspaper, before publication. In May 1983, he decided to have certain pages pulled because of the sensitive content in two of the articles, and acted quickly to remove them in order to meet the paper's publication deadline. The articles dealt with issues of teen pregnancy and divorce, topics that Principal Reynolds felt were inappropriate for younger readers. The journalism students felt that this censorship was a direct violation of their First Amendment rights.
What do you think should have happened? How would the current SCOTUS have decided? What actually happened?