Here is a preview of our new public service announcement we will be broadcasting on our local school news programme.

Three years ago today, Joseph Frederick’s suit against secondary school principal Deborah Morse and the Juneau School District reached the US Supreme Court. Joseph Frederick was suspended for displaying the beside banner across from his school during the Olympic torch relay leading up to the 2002 Winter Olympics. In response, he sued, citing freedom of speech as provided by the first amendment of the US Constitution.

Applying the logic of the previous three landmark school speech cases (Tinker, Fraser, and Hazelwood), the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Juneau School District, reasoning that “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” was considered promotion of illegal drugs and was thus contrary to the basic educational mission of the school.