Student Free Speech Rights
Guiles v. Marineau
Issues
The case began in May 2004. Zachary Guiles was suspended from Williamstown Middle School for wearing a T-shirt that called President George Bush “Chicken-Hawk-in-Chief” who was engaged in a “World Domination Tour.”
Zachary was later allowed back in school, but he was told that he couldn`t wear the T-shirt unless he taped over certain pictures on the T-shirt -- pictures of a martini glass, lines of cocaine, straws, and razor blades. The pictures were references to substance abuse problems President Bush is said to have had as a younger man. These problems were also described in words on the T-shirt. (See the T-shirt.)
The school claimed the display of the pictures violated the school’s dress policy, which prohibited all images of drugs, or drug paraphernalia, on student clothing. (Read the school’s dress policy.)
Zachary felt he had a right to wear the T-shirt under the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. He was expressing a political opinion by wearing the shirt. He felt the school was trying to censor his opinion.
Zachary came to the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU helps citizens when they think their constitutional rights have been violated. The ACLU of Vermont agreed to take Zachary’s case. The ACLU agreed with Zachary that he should be allowed to wear the T-shirt critical of the president. (How the ACLU decides to take a case.)
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