Harper v. Poway Unified School District Oral Argument
Channel: LawResourceOrg
Date: 2011-04-07

Harper v. Poway Unified School District Oral Argument - U.S. Court of Appeals - 187077-1-DVD - 2005-06-06 - The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in the case of Harper v. Poway Unified School District in Pasadena, California. The case involved a high school student suspended for wearing a T-shirt that read "homosexuality is shameful" and references to biblical passages at an event hosted by the school's Gay-Straight Alliance Club. Arguments focused on allowable speech in the classroom, civics education, and retaining decorum and discipline in schools. Tyler Chase Harper, a high school student in San Diego, alleged his First Amendment speech was violated when he was suspended for refusing to take off a T-shirt that on the front read, "Be Ashamed" and "Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned," and on the back read, "Homosexuality is Shameful" and "Romans 1:27." He wore the T-shirt in April 2004 in protest of an event sponsored by the school.  Filmed by C-SPAN. Non-commercial use only. For more information, see http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/187077-1