Tinker V. Des Moines: Student Protest (Landmark Supreme Court Cases)

Considers the landmark case that dealt with the rights of students to wear arm bands to protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Grade 6 Up. This landmark Supreme Court case involved high school students in Des Moines, IA, who, in 1965, wore black armbands to school in protest of the Vietnam War. The school administration stated that "the schools are no place for demonstration," and suspended the students. Feeling that their First Amendment rights had been violated, the young people and their parents sued the school district in a case that went all the way to the highest court in our nation. In the first chapter of this book, Farish provides a concise but thorough overview of this famous case. Her writing is straightforward and objective. She discusses the opinions of each of the justices and explains why this case succeeded when so many others of the same era failed. In the last chapter, the author discusses the impact that this case continues to have on free-speech issues specifically regarding students. A smattering of black-and-white photos are included. YAs will find this book interesting and informative, and teachers will find the "Questions for Discussion" a valuable resource when teaching the Constitution. The glossary is especially helpful with legal terms, and the index makes the text extremely accessible. The list for further reading suggests books for younger and older readers. A worthy addition.?Pat Scales, Greenville Middle School, SC
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A well-written litigation case history involving free-speech rights for students is the newest title in the Landmark Supreme Court Cases series. In December 1965, two teenage children of a Methodist minister in Des Moines, Iowa, wore black armbands to school. ``For them, it was an act of mourning the dead of both sides from the war, and an act of support for a truce, or end of fighting, in Vietnam.'' Although the protest did not disrupt classes, John and Mary Beth Tinker were suspended. They ended up at the Supreme Court, then headed by Justice Earl Warren. Readers will be intrigued by the notion that some conduct is considered ``symbolic speech,'' and therefore protected by the First Amendment. Also portrayed well are the justices of the Supreme Court, and the Court's inner workings and protocol: The justices shake hands before they discuss cases, younger justices speak first (so they will not be intimidated by their senior colleagues), and they all maintain strict secrecy. There is an excellent discussion of ``burden of proof.'' A must-read for students and their teachers: Justice Abe Fortas, in his decision, reinforced the notion of the schoolroom as a miniature world when he wrote, ``It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights of freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.'' (b&w photos, notes, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 11+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.