The 50th Anniversary of the Tinker v. Des Moines Schools Decision

Mary Beth Tinker was a 13-year-old junior high school student in December 1965 when she, her brother John, 15, and a group of Iowa students wore black armbands to school to protest the war in Vietnam. That decision led the students and their families to embark on a four-year court battle that culminated in the landmark 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision for student free speech: Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Iowa Public Television captured a live presentation and Q&A with Mary Beth and John Tinker as they reflected on the case and its impact. The program was recorded at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines on Friday, February 22, 2019, and features special guests and questions submitted by students across the U.S.
Student questions and discussion during the event were shared on Twitter using the hashtag #tinkerversary.
Explore more about the case and its impact with the following resources:
Documentation and citations of the Tinker v. Des Moines decision (Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute)
www.law.cornel...
Audio recording and transcript of the Supreme Court Tinker v. Des Moines oral argument (Oyez).
www.oyez.org/c...
Video interviews and discussion with Mary Beth and John Tinker (C-SPAN).
landmarkcases.c...
Students' Freedom of Speech and Symbolic Speech Rights in Schools podcast (United States Courts).
www.uscourts.go...
Live event partner: State Historical Society of Iowa