Morse V. Frederick - Groups Involved

Groups Involved

The American Civil Liberties Union directly participated in this case on the side of Joseph Frederick. The Center for Individual Rights, National Coalition Against Censorship, and other groups that advocate First Amendment protection filed amici curiae in support of Frederick. Students for Sensible Drug Policy also noted that banning drug-related speech would undermine their ability to have chapters in public schools. The American Center for Law and Justice, and Rutherford Institute, and several other Christian right groups also filed briefs on the side of Frederick, reasoning that if schools could ban "offensive" speech they would also be able to prohibit religious speech with which administrators disagree. On this point, the Christian right groups prevailed, as the Supreme Court explicitly declined to hold that school boards could discipline "offensive" speech, noting that "much political and religious speech might be perceived as offensive to some" and the concern is "not that Frederick's speech was offensive, but that it was reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use."

The National School Boards Association supports Morse and the Juneau school district, arguing that schools should be able to regulate controversial speech. U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement filed an amicus brief in support of the school district's decision to prohibit controversial speech.

On March 19, 2007, Students for Sensible Drug Policy organized a widely-publicized free speech rally at the Supreme Court during oral arguments. The Drug Policy Alliance and the National Youth Rights Association assisted with the rally, which brought dozens of students from across the country to the court steps.