Morse V. Frederick

The court will hear argument in case 06-278, Morse vs. Frederick.

It was a school speech case in which the United States Supreme Court held that the First Amendment does not prevent educators from suppressing student speech, at a school-supervised event, that is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use.

United States Supreme Court appearances by: Kenneth W.Starr, esquire, of Lose Angeles, California: on behalf of Petitioners, Edwin S. Keedler, esquire, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C; for United States, as amicus curiae, supporting Petitioners and Douglas K. Mertz, esquire, of Juneau, Alaska; on behalf of Respondent.

At a school supervised event, Joseph Frederick held up a banner with the message "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," a slang reference to marijuana smoking. Principal Deborah Morse took away the banner and suspended Frederick for ten days. She justified her actions by citing the school's policy against the display of material that promotes the use of illegal drugs. Frederick sued under the federal civil rights statute, alleging a violation of his First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The District Court found no constitutional violation and ruled in favor of Morse. The court held that even if there were a violation, the principal had qualified immunity from lawsuit. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed. The Ninth Circuit cited Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which extended First Amendment protection to student speech except where the speech would cause a disturbance. Because Frederick was punished for his message rather than for any disturbance, the Circuit Court ruled, the punishment was unconstitutional. Furthermore, the principal had no qualified immunity, because any reasonable principal would have known that Morse's actions were unlawful.

In the case of Morse v. Frederick, however, the Court decided in a much different manner. A student in the school held up banner...