Image by Nemo
 October 13, 1987 – January 13, 1988
 Case focused on freedom of speech, freedom of the press
 Controversial articles removed from a school newspaper
about…
 Teen pregnancy
 Divorce
 Principal removed the articles from final version
 Inappropriate references to sexual activity
 Students mentioned in pregnancy article would be easy to
identify even though names were changed
 Parents’ names were included without their consent in article
about a girl blaming the father for her parents divorce
 Took out not only the two articles, but the entire page each
article was on
 1st Amendment- students’ freedom of speech/freedom
of the press
 The journalists that claimed there was a violation, they
did so because the articles they had worked hard on
were removed from the school paper
 censorship
Image by Andrys
 Case was taken to the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Missouri
 Ruled rights were not violated
 Appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth
Circuit
 Ruled the students rights were violated by the school
district
 Appealed again to the U.S. Supreme Court to
certiorari, or review the decision of a lower court
 Delivered by Supreme Court Justice Byron White
 School officials have power over student speech
 In the promotion of educational goals
 Opinion of the Court: Schools have the right to
regulate material in order to keep it appropriate for the
audience
Byron White
 Delivered by Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr.
 Supported by Justices Marshall and Blackmun
 School newspapers are a place where students are able to
express their First Amendment rights
 Case violated right to have protection from censorship
 Minority Opinion: “School officials may censor only such
student speech as would ‘materially disrup[t]’ a legitimate
curricular function” (Brennan).
 Restrictions should only apply to prevent students from
disrupting school activities
 Reflects on court ruling in Tinker v. Des Moines
 Students still have rights on school grounds
 Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School
District
 Students were told that they would be suspended for
wearing arm bands that protested against the Vietnam
War
 Violations of students’ freedom of speech/expression
 Court decision: students had a right to wear these arm
bands
 Reflected on in the dissenting opinion
 Just as in Tinker, the articles in the school newspaper
were not a major disruption of classwork
 Ruled in favor of the Hazelwood School District
 No violation of First Amendment rights
 Students and adults have equal First Amendment
rights- adults’ rights were not being considered and
therefore the principal is justified in removing the
articles
 Journalism classes are part of school curriculum, not a
public forum
 Restrictions are okay if it is because of educational
objectives
 1924–2005
 Bachelor's and a master's degree in political science-



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Stanford University
Master's degree in government- Harvard University
Law degree- Stanford Law School
1971-appointed into the supreme court by president
Nixon
1986- made chief justice by President Reagan
 Remained so until death in 2005
Court decisions
 Dissenter in 1973 Roe v. Wade, voting against legalized
abortion
 Won victory in 1995 United States v. Lopez, made
carrying a gun in a school zone legal again
 Presiding judge in President Clinton’s impeachment
trial
 Supporter in 2000 Bush v. Gore supreme court decision
not to recount Florida's contested votes
 Restricted first amendment rights for students
 School authorities are given control of students freedom
of speech and expression if it is affiliated with the school
 Or if interrupting the educational process

Andrys. Newspaper. Digital image. Pixabay. N.p., Sept. 2014. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.

Byron White. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.

Cambron-McCabe, Nelda, and Ellen Bueschel. "Students' Rights." Social Issues in America: An
Encyclopedia. Ed. James Ciment. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2013. 1961-1972. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

"FindLaw | Cases and Codes." FindLaw | Cases and Codes. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

"Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier." Great American Court Cases. Ed. Mark Mikula and L. Mpho
Mabunda. Vol. 1: Individual Liberties. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19
Dec. 2014.

Nemo. Justice. Digital image. Pixabay. N.p., July 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.

Raskin, Jamin B. "Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier." We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for
and about Students. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2008. 65-68. Print.

Raskin, Jamin B. "Hazelwood School." We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and about Students.
Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2008. N. pag. Print.

"William Rehnquist." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2015.

"Facts and Case Summary: Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier." USCOURTSGOV RSS. Administrative Office of
the U.S. Courts, n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2015.