Docket no. Breyer noted separately he would give Morse qualified immunity from the lawsuit, but did not sign onto the majority's broader free speech limits on students. Frederick, decided June 25, 2007, the court found that Joseph Frederick, a student who unfurled a 14’ banner reading "BONG HiTS 4 JESUS" at a school event, was rightfully suspended in 2002 by school principal Deborah Morse for promoting illegal drug use. What makes this a truly great moment in weed history is not just the way Joseph Frederick thumbed his nose at an oppressive high school and its humorless principal, but the years he spent afterward, defending his personal liberty and the free speech rights of all students in the United States. October 2010, All Books from University of Alaska Press, View Full
”. Privacy Policies He shot back something about Thomas Jefferson. The court ruled that since Frederick was holding the banner at a "school-supervised" (though not on school grounds) event, the principal had a right to restrict what he said about illegal drugs—even if his message was rather nonsensical. Roberts was supported by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, and Samuel Alito. Frederick said she doubled the suspension to 10 days when he quoted Thomas Jefferson on free speech. Student: Case about speech, not drugs He was backed by Justices David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As the Olympic torch approached in Juneau, Alaska, in 2002 on the way to Salt Lake City, then-high school student Joseph Frederick and friends, excused from class at the high school across the street for the event, hold up the banner in the incident that started the case that will be heard in the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. 06-278 . these fine bookstores. How to strike that balance is the question, particularly since the Columbine massacre and the Sept. 11 attacks have made teachers and administrators quicker to tamp down on unruly or unusual behavior. Decided by Roberts Court . The best API to search all podcasts and episodes. Foster’s fascinating and comprehensive book about Morse v. Frederick walks readers through every stage of a case that resulted in the US Supreme Court establishing a ‘messy precedent’ that may deeply affect First Amendment speech rights for years to come. Five years later it was before the U.S. Supreme Court, with Kenneth Starr representing the school. "Dangerous, disruptive, unprotected speech or a sophomoric grab for TV face time?

See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. Among the factors that could weigh in the decision, Frederick was standing on public property, not school grounds when he displayed the banner. The Supreme Court ruled against a former high school student Monday in the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner case -- a split decision that limits students' free speech rights. She tacked on another five. The other issue in the case is whether the principal should have to compensate Frederick.

After he unfurled his 14-foot "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner on a Juneau, Alaska, street one winter morning in 2002, Frederick got a 10-day school suspension. Brought to life through interviews with the principal figures in the case, Bong Hits 4 Jesus is a gripping tale of the boundaries of free speech in an American high school. The Supreme Court ruled against a former high school student Monday in the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner case -- a split decision that limits students' free speech rights. You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. The school said students were allowed to leave class to see the torch pass by, making the event school-sanctioned. A federal appeals court in San Francisco agreed, concluding the school could not show Frederick had disrupted the school's educational mission by showing a banner off campus. . I assumed most people would take it as a joke. He lost in federal district court, but the 9th U.S. "I was not promoting drugs.

Nunakun-gguq Ciutengqertut/They Say They Have Ears Through the Ground Ann Fienup-Riordan When the relay runner and accompanying camera cars passed Juneau-Douglas High School, senior Joseph Frederick and several friends unfurled a fourteen-foot banner reading "BONG HiTS 4 JESUS. A jury recently awarded Frank Frederick $200,000 in a lawsuit he filed over his firing. © 2013 The Associated Press. Site Map The Bush administration, school boards, anti-drug groups and former drug control directors William Bennett and Barry McCaffrey are supporting the Juneau schools and principal Deborah Morse. To continue reading login or create an account.

Morse v. Frederick, (551 U.S. 393 (2007)), is a United States Supreme Court case where the Court held, 5–4, that the First Amendment does not prevent educators from suppressing student speech that is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use at or across the street from a school-supervised event. Banner was on public property

RSS feed of the latest books from University of Alaska Press. The incident occurred in January 2002 just outside school grounds when the Olympic torch relay was moving through the Alaska capital on its way to the Salt Lake City, Utah, Winter Games. Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date. Hoffman withdrew $1,200 hours before death: sources, Tenn. plane crash devastates Kansas ranching family, Indiana man back home 18 years after abduction, 32 states in the path of another wild storm, Gay-rights groups to steer clear of Sochi Olympics, NYC mayor will skip St. Pat's parade over gay ban, Judge vows quick ruling on Va. marriage ban, From the archives: 'Miracle on the Hudson', Man’s goal is to carry cross in all 50 states. Website. At issue was the discretion schools should be allowed to limit messages that appear to advocate illegal drug use. Starting Point Where the Justices repeatedly had to say and hear the words Bong Hits for Jesus. Highly recommended.”, “By following one case very closely over a long time [Foster] finds opportunities to discuss a variety of issues involved in constitutional litigation. A student who unfurled a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner has a date Monday at the Supreme Court in what is shaping up as an important test of constitutional rights. Bibliovault . In Morse v.Frederick, decided June 25, 2007, the court found that Joseph Frederick, a student who unfurled a 14’ banner reading "BONG HiTS 4 JESUS" at a school event, was rightfully suspended in 2002 by school principal Deborah Morse for promoting illegal drug use. An in-depth look at student rights within a public high school, this book chronicles the events that followed: Frederick’s suspension, the subsequent suit against the school district, and, ultimately, the escalation of a local conflict into a federal case. Joseph, who has since graduated, sued the suspension was a violation of his constitutional right to free speech. Frederick filed suit, saying his First Amendment rights were infringed. Citation 551 US 393 (2007) ... Joseph Frederick held up a banner with the message "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," a slang reference to marijuana smoking. He sued, taking his case all the way to the nation's highest court. "This case is not about drugs. When the Olympic torch passed through Juneau, Alaska, in 2002, 18-year-old Joseph Frederick saw a chance at TV airtime. Morse saw the banner, confronted Frederick and suspended him. But neither can students be disruptive or lewd or interfere with a school's basic educational mission, the court also has said. Although he is proud that he stood up for his rights, he regrets "the bad precedent set by the ruling."

That led to a 10-day suspension for violating a school policy on promoting illegal drug use. They say that the court should support school administrators who impose reasonable limits on student expression and that those limits should extend to promotion of illegal drugs. international sales information. Frederick had previous run-ins with school administrators before the banner dispute. The finding came in a case in which a Juneau public high school teacher gave Joseph Frederick a 10-day suspension for unfurling a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" as the school was gathering outside to watch the Olympic Torch Relay pass in 2002.

October 2010, Nunakun-gguq Ciutengqertut/They Say They Have Ears Through the Ground, A Guide to Peril Strait and Wrangell Narrows, Alaska, Published The Constitution and the Courts, Political Science: Where the Justices repeatedly had to say and hear the words Bong Hits for Jesus.

What makes this a truly great moment in weed history is not just the way Joseph Frederick thumbed his nose at an oppressive high school and its humorless principal, but the years he spent afterward, defending his personal liberty and the free speech rights of all students in the United States. Closure: 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' Guy, Joseph Frederick | Education. (Watch the banner unfurl and launch a legal battle ), "It was reasonable for (the principal) to conclude that the banner promoted illegal drug use-- and that failing to act would send a powerful message to the students in her charge," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court's 6-3 majority. Visit our sponsors at Tweedlefarms.com and use promo code greatmoments for a discount on quality CBD products! Present Day I wasn't trying to say anything religious, anything about drugs," Frederick said in a telephone news conference from China, where he now teaches English and studies Mandarin. "Bong," as noted in the appeal filed with the justices, "is a slang term for drug paraphernalia.". An array of groups, from advocates of drug law changes to gay rights backers to supporters of religious freedom, have lined up behind him. Principal Deborah Morse confiscated it and suspended Frederick. Frederick sued under 42 U.S.C. All rights reserved. She justified her actions by citing the school's policy against the display of material that promotes the use of illegal drugs. A weed-fueled stoner prank escalated to the highest court in the land after a student in Juneau, Alaska used the opportunity of the olympic torch passing through town to unfurl a banner reading "Bong Hits For Jesus.". "I find it absurdly funny," he said. The act of taking multiple hits from a bong in the name of Jesus. . His tactic: a banner reading BONG HITS 4 JESUS. Other student speech cases making their way through the courts include a student who was pulled from class after taping an anti-gay message to his shirt and a middle schooler who got into trouble for a shirt that uses symbols of drugs and alcohol to criticize President George W. Bush. Chicago Manual of Style