free speech takes a hit

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by ShadowRoll

While I am a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, this decision isn't very surpising, nor is it very threatening. The Court was engaged in balancing the rights of a student versus the interests a school has in supervising students (such as dissuading drug use). No big deal, they've often limited the freedom of speech when balancing it against other legitimate competing interests. I don't see this particular development (though there are others which are more ominous) as being a sign that we're slipping into a totalitarian state.

What I absolutely can't agree with, ArlJim, is your suggestion that this issue was too silly to take up the Court's time. I can think of few things more proper for the Court to ponder than the First Amendment, which, among other things, is the reason that I, and you, can express our respective opinions on this web site. Plus, the fact that this was a 5-4 decision seems to weigh against your belief that this was a silly issue.

Free speech is denied all the time. In school the teacher tells you to shut up. Another teacher says take down that sign. No big deal. free Speech is of course very important but I'm not one that views this particular matter as a big deal.
This isn't Solzhenitsyn being sent to the gulag for expressing his views. this is a teacher telling Freddie to take down his bong-hits sign. Another teacher in the same situation might have done it differently and allowed the sign to stay up. fine, again no big deal. I see it as a local matter more to do with taste and decorum, not a subject worthy of a titanic supreme court struggle.