Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District 1969
Could a school suspend students for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War?
393 U.S. 503 (1969)Speech and press
- The question
- Could a school suspend students for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War?
- What the Court held
- No. Students do not shed their constitutional rights “at the schoolhouse gate”; the protest caused no substantial disruption.
- The vote
- 7–2
- Read the opinion
- 393 U.S. 503 (1969), full text
This page summarizes the Court’s judgment in neutral terms. The opinion, concurrences and dissents are the authority; read them for the reasoning.