Bethel School District v. Fraser, 478 U.S. 675 (1986)

Free Speech Out Loud
Bethel School District v. Fraser, 478 U.S. 675 (1986)

Legal Question: Whether school officials may prohibit a vulgar and lewd student speech at an assembly even if the speech does not create a substantial disruption.

Action: The Court held the district was "within its permissible authority in imposing sanctions upon Fraser" in response to his speech.

Justice Brennan, concurring, at 19:43

Justice Marshall, dissenting, at 26:28

Justice Stevens, dissenting, at 27:36

This opinion's citations have been edited down for ease of listening. For more information, visit our explanation.

Watch a brief overview of Bethel v. Fraser.

For more on Bethel v. Fraser, visit FIRE's First Amendment Library.

For more episodes, visit thefire.org/outloud.

Recent Episodes

Share