The Response

On December 16th, just two days later, Mary Beth and Christopher, innocent, beautiful, peaceful hippies that they were, wore their black armbands to school. John, Mary Beth’s older brother, wore his armband the following day. All three students were sent home from school and informed that they would be suspended unless they removed their armbands. 

Because these kids had some seriously big, brass balls, they refused to remove them. As the planned period to wear the black armbands to school did not expire until January 2nd, the students did not return to school until after New Year’s Day- all three wore black clothes to protest their suspension the day they returned.

In case you didn’t recognize the absolute B.S. above, the principal allowed the suspension of three of his students to continue for three weeks because they wore black armbands. Do you know how much of their education they missed out on? Then again, they probably had a fantastic Christmas holiday.

Their fathers filed a complaint on their behalf in the United St ates District Court under 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code. The Code demanded an injunction restraining the school officials and the members of the board of directors of the school district from disciplining the petitioners and it wanted minimal damages. The district court basically said this wasn’t worth their time and dismissed the complaint. It upheld the constitutionality of the school’s action on the grounds that it was reasonable in order to prevent disturbance of school discipline. The court referred to but declined to follow the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in a similar case (that the wearing of political symbols like the armbands can’t be prohibited unless it interfered with the requirements of “appropriate discipline in the operation of school.”) 

Now, because these students didn’t agree with this ruling, they, to quote Nick Fury, “Understood the opinion of [the Court] but given as it was a stupid-ass opinion, [they] elected to ignore it.” So they took their case to the Court of Appeals for the Eighth circuit. The Court was equally divided, and the District Court’s decision was upheld.

This was a very uncool opinion.

Mary Beth, John, and Christopher took their case to the Supreme court because it was considered a landmark case, something studied due to its historical and legal significance that has lasting effects and deals with individual rights and liberties. The final decision ruled in favor of the students- freaking finally- by saying that they were protected by the First Amendment’s Right of Free Speech.

Boom. Mic drop.