Case Law Index
federal1969
Additional Highlights:First AmendmentStudent RightsFree Speech
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
United States Supreme Court
Key Holding
Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate; schools may only restrict student speech that causes substantial disruption.
Case Summary
Tinker v. Des Moines held that students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War were engaged in protected symbolic speech under the First Amendment, establishing that students retain constitutional rights in school unless their expression causes substantial disruption.