Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
A group of students in Des Moines, Iowa, wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. School officials suspended them. The Supreme Court ruled that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” The suspensions violated the First Amendment.

3) Why It Mattered
Tinker was the first case to firmly establish student free speech rights. It set the standard that schools can only restrict speech if it would cause substantial disruption.

4) What It Provided or Took Away

• Provided: Students with constitutional free speech protection in public schools.
• Took Away: Schools’ ability to punish expression simply because it is unpopular or controversial.

5) Overreach or Proper Role?
The Court acted properly, balancing educational order with fundamental rights. Critics argued it tied educators’ hands, but it reinforced core First Amendment values.

6) Plain-English Impact Today
Students can express political or personal views in school, so long as it doesn’t materially disrupt education or infringe on others’ rights.

• First Amendment
• Free Speech
• Students
• Education
• Individual Rights