Supreme Court Sucks

In America, we are burdened with a positive/negative thing: The Supreme Court. In good times (read: when people understand the idea of precedent and facts), the Supreme Court has integrated schools and given minorities fair access to academic facilities along with making criminals aware of the rights afforded to them by the Constitution. In bad times (read: now), the Supreme Court tramples upon the rights of women to file workplace discrimination suits while pandering to corporate interests.

Today, the Supreme Court really pulled a fast one over on the high school students of America. While their rights are already being trampled upon by being forced to learn material that is of no interest to them while being groomed to take inaccurate measures of intelligence in the form of standardized tests, the high school student's right to free speech is now in question.

In the case, The Supreme Court determined that a school was allowed to suspend a student who held up a sign that said "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" while the Olympic flame passed through town. The student said that the phrase meant nothing, but the high school was certain that it was a reference to drug usage. The school suspended the student for ten days after he would not rat out his conspirators. He appealed his suspension to the school board to no effect. And he proceeded to file a civil rights suit against the school district, which brings us up to the present. It is also important to note that this sign was not displayed on school grounds, but, in fact, across the street from the school. Such an action places him on public property where free speech is allowed. But, according to the Supreme Court, this isn't really true. This leads to the question of where can high school students express themselves because this will allow for the schools to crack down on student publications, which were already heavily censored by administrations. If the Supreme Court has its way, high school students will become test-taking automatons. The sad part is, the Court's conservative majority, the side that decided this case, is still young.

While the Supreme Court has only been together for a year and a half, its mark is already being made to the detriment of America. Bad decisions that have limited the freedoms of many members of society. But, due to the Constitution, we can only wait until they retire from the bench because the Supreme Court is for life.