Question

In the majority opinion, what does Fortas suggest is the reason the school authorities suspended the students?

Answer 1

The correct answer is C) because they wanted to avoid the discomfort of facing an unpopular view.

In the majority opinion, Fortas suggested that the reason the school authorities suspended the students was that they wanted to avoid the discomfort of facing an unpopular view.

We are referring to the case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District that was decided on February 24, 1969.

In 1965, five students decided to wear black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War and they were suspended by the school for doing that. In the majority opinion, Judge Abe Fortas suggested that the reason the school authorities suspended the students was that they wanted to avoid the discomfort of facing an unpopular view. At the end of the case, the Court decided that the use of armbands as a protest was not a motive to cause any disruption and that the protest was protected by freedom of speech.

The other options of the question were A) because they thought that Constitutional rights did not apply to school settings. B) because they preferred that students wrote essays on Vietnam instead. D) because they feared that students wanted to take over the school.

Answer 2

Because they wanted to avoid the discomfort of facing an unpopular view