“The court, without comment, turned down a student's argument that school
officials could not keep him from wearing T-shirts depicting Manson, a "shock rock"
star who took his stage name from Marilyn Monroe and mass killer Charles Manson.
Nicholas J. Boroff was a senior when he arrived at Van Wert High School in Van
Wert, Ohio, in August 1997 wearing a Marilyn Manson T-shirt. Manson's real name
is Brian Warner, and his group also is named Marilyn Manson. The front of the
shirt depicted a three-faced Jesus and the back of the shirt said "believe" with
the letters "lie" highlighted. A school administrator told Boroff the shirt was
offensive and told him to either turn it inside out, go home and change, or leave and
be considered truant. Boroff left, and returned each of the next four school days
wearing other Marilyn Manson T-shirts. Each time he was told he could not attend
class wearing the shirt. Boroff sued, saying school officials violated his
constitutional rights to free speech and due process. A federal judge ruled for the
school district, and the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati agreed. “
1. If you were a Supreme Court judge how would you have decided? Why?