Monday, June 25, 2007

Supreme Court rules against free speech

The Bong Hits 4 Jesus kid lost 5-4 in the Supreme Court decision. Chief Justice Roberts summary, “A principal may, consistent with the First Amendment, restrict student speech at a school event, when that speech is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use.”

While Justice Breyer dissented and warned, "One concern is that, while the holding is theoretically limited to speech promoting the use of illegal drugs, it could in fact authorize further viewpoint-based restrictions."

John Paul Stevens wrote, "This case began with a silly nonsensical banner, (and) ends with the court inventing out of whole cloth a special First Amendment rule permitting the censorship of any student speech that mentions drugs, so long as someone could perceive that speech to contain a latent pro-drug message."