Case Summary

The Tinkers were public school students in Des Moines, Iowa in 1965. The two siblings, John and Mary Beth, were members of a group which was protesting United States involvement in the Vietnam War. As part of the protest the Tinkers decided to wear black armbands to school as a statement against American involvement. The schools found out about the protester's plans and instated a policy against all armbands. Students would be asked to remove armbands or leave school until they removed them.

The Tinkers and a friend named Christopher Echardt wore the armbands anyway, and were suspended until they removed them. They remained out of school until January 1, 1966, which was the end of the protest. Their fathers filed a suit in U.S. District court asking for money for damages and asking to prohibit the school from enforcing the armband policy. The district court recognized the students' first amendment rights, but did not order the injunction against the policy because the court claimed that the school had reasonable cause to prevent potential disruptions. The case was appealed at the state level where a tie vote allowed the ruling to stand. The case was then taken to the Supreme Court where the ruling was overturned.