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Debs v. United States
Debs made an anti-war speech in Ohio on the U.S. involvement in WW1. Debs was arrested under the Espionage Act of 1917 and convicted. Debs was sentenced to 10 years in prison and to be disenfranchised for life. The court found he had shown the "intention and effect of obstructing the draft and recruitment for the war." Among other things, the Court cited Debs' praise for those imprisoned for obstructing the draft. Debs had to serve his initial sentence of 10 years. -
Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire
a Jehovah's Witness was using the public sidewalk to pass out pamphlets and calling organized religion a "racket.". Chaplinsky did not like this and stated that he shouted: "You are a God-damned racketeer" and "a damned Fascist". He was arrested and claim he had freedom of speech, but the court disagreed because it was intentionally offensive speech. -
United States v. O'Brien
Obrien burned his draft card. In court, he claimed it was to protest against the Vietnam War. A decision by the Supreme Court of the United States which ruled t against burning a draft card did not violate the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
In an Iowa school, 5 students decided to wear black wrist bands to show their disagreement with the Vietnam war. The students who wore the armbands were suspended from school, and a suit was filed against the Iowa Civil Liberties Union. The court found that wearing the armbands did not cause a disturbance in the school day, and the students were protected by the first amendment -
Cohen v. California
A student in California wore a jack that stated: "F the draft". He was later arrested and taken out of school. Later in court after being charged it was deemed that he protected by the first amendment. He was just protesting the Vietnam war and was not disturbing the school day. -
Board of Education v. Pico
The board of education received a list of books that the parents of the students deemed inappropriate. The committee found that five of the nine books should be returned, but the board overruled the decision and returned only two of the books. A group of students filed a lawsuit claiming a violation of the first amendment. The judge later deemed that those books shouldn't be in a high school environment. -
Texas v. Johnson
Lee Johnson burned an American flag outside of the national republican convention was being held. Johnson Burned the flag in protest to some a Ronald Regans policies. He was later arrested and charged with violating a Texas statute. A Texas court later decided that even though society finds that very offensive that he was still protected by the first amendment. -
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
A journalism II class at Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis, Missouri wrote stories about their peers’ experiences with teen pregnancy and the impact of divorce. The school took the article out of the paper without the students know about it. The students appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals which reversed the lower court, finding that the paper was a "public forum" that went beyond the walls of the school. -
Virginia v. Black
The case involved 2 crosses being burned at a KKK rally in front of an African Americans home. The KKK leader Barry Black was convicted the supreme court of Virginia deemed the statute unconstitutional. Virginia supreme court later made it illegal to burn a cross in public with the intent to intimidate others. -
Morse v. Frederick
A senior at Juneau-Douglas High School held up a banner saying "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" during the Olympic Torch Relay. The school principal told him to put the sign away because it was influencing drug use. He refused and got suspended from school for 10 days. The U.S. district court later deemed that the senior was protected by the first amendment, and his ban was constitutionally protected.
