Me the Judge

What facts favor the students?  

Write an argument for the students:

The students can argue that what the principal did violates constitutional law. The principal paid no respect to their First Amendment rights. He ordered security guards to take off their shirts, and humiliated them in public. 

What facts favor the principal/school?

Write an argument for the principal/school?

The school can argue that the principal was just protecting the students from being attacked. His options were to let them be attacked, or save them from being a human slushie. He took the obvious correct path, and tried to protect his students by asking them to remove their T-shirts multiple times. They refused to take them off, so he was forced to call security in. He did not have the opposite sex security guards take off the students’ shirts.  

If you were the judge, how would rule and why???

Write the decision:

Based on the facts before me, I find that the principal is guilty of violating constitutional law. While this court affords schools latitude to avoid violence, the principal has still violated the First Amendment. He forcefully removed their shirts and humiliated them in public. He was not avoiding violence; he was taking the side of one of the most popular groups in the school. 

 The First Amendment provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The students here have a right to protest against having slushies thrown at them. The principal should have let them keep their shirts and stopped the slushie throwing. Therefore, the suspension is voided.

                    ______________

Judge E Dodge

United States Supreme Court

IT IS SO ORDERED:

May 14, 2020