Dear Editor:
The recent, tragic shootings at Parkland, Fla. will, no doubt, pit protesting public school students against their respective school systems and boards, if their plans are successful in pulling students out of classrooms to march in public demonstrations, and by wearing any anti-gun protest armbands, tee shirts, or other political clothing in the classroom.
For guidance on this matter regarding the student’s free speech rights, one can turn to the 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision, when students wore anti-Vietnam War armbands in school.
The high court ruled that these students did have a right of free speech to wear the armbands.
Public school attorneys and school boards in Michigan would be wise to develop anticipatory policies regarding this matter in advance of next month’s planned Washington, D.C. march and similar protests in the classroom.
In a related free speech case, the right to wear political campaign hats, T-shirts and politically oriented clothing at voter polling precincts will be tested on February 28, 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments against a Minnesota law that bans such political materials on the person who shows up at the polls to vote.
Minnesota voter Andy Cilek is challenging this law.
The Supreme Court’s ultimate decision could impact Michigan’s similar law.
These cases point out the continuing debates over free speech and the U.S. Constitution.
Joe Neussendorfer
Associate Member
American Bar Association
- Posted February 22, 2018
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Letters to the Editor
headlines Macomb
- Lawyer publishes first of three children’s books
- US government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
- Owner of twice-sunken Lake Michigan barge pleads guilty to felony
- Woman charged with murder in crash that killed young brother and sister at birthday party
- MDHHS to issue maternal health quality payments to hospitals
headlines National
- New Legalese: You may have heard a deepfake, but what about ‘Twiqbal’?
- From Intake to Outcome: An in-house lawyer’s guide to matter management solutions
- 2 BigLaw firms in merger talks that could produce 1,600-lawyer firm with top 50 revenue
- Send in the paralegals
- Lawyer reprimanded after mistakenly emailing opposing counsel with plan to avoid judge’s call
- ‘I don’t play well’ judge who threatened to track down, jail misbehaving litigant gets tossed from case