In March I wrote about the Supreme Court case involving Joseph Frederick, who as a high school student in 2002 unfurled a 14-foot banner at a school-sponsored parade for the Olympic torch relay that read “Bong Hits 4 Jesus.” The principal of the Juneau, Alaska school, Deborah Morse, suspended Frederick and the student responded by filing a federal civil rights suit. Five years later, after the case escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court, the highest court in the land ruled Monday against Frederick. In Chief Justice John Roberts’ decision he wrote, “The message on Frederick’s banner is cryptic. But Principal Morse thought the banner would be interpreted by those viewing it as promoting illegal drug use, and that interpretation is plainly a reasonable one.” Keep in mind that while the event involving the banner took place during school hours, neither Frederick or the parade were on school grounds. The ruling is devastating for student freedom of speech and gives legal precedent to punish students who don’t comply with a school’s educational mission. A school’s philosophy can be quite subjective and can be tailored in specific cases to suppress student speech and push a political or religious agenda. At a time when Americans are accused of being un-American for not believing in the Bush foreign policy and someone like Michael Moore is skewered in public and harassed by his own government simply for making a film, Monday’s decision is like that final kick in the 6-year beatdown of the First Amendment. The one where the guy leaves his victim writhing on the pavement and comes back for one last boot to the ribs. Like I wrote in March, Joseph Frederick, the student who put “bong hits” and “Jesus” on the same piece of cloth, is now 23, living in China, studying Mandarin and teaching English. His precise location is undisclosed and did not issue a comment on Monday’s ruling.
•AP: Court Limits Free-Speech Rights
•Flumesday.com: Taking ‘Bong Hits 4 Jesus’