Brennan condemns the newspaper-page deletions as censorship
William J. Brennan Jr.U.S. Supreme Court justice, dissenting with Justices Marshall and Blackmun
Brennan argues that the principal violated students' speech rights and that the deletion was insufficiently tailored.
“He violated the First Amendment's prohibitions against censorship of any student expression that neither disrupts classwork nor invades the rights of others, and against any censorship that is not narrowly tailored to serve its purpose.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier: school defends deleting newspaper pages; student journalists challenge the decision
The Supreme Court split over a principal's removal of pages from a school-sponsored newspaper. The majority accepted the decision as reasonably related to educational concerns. The dissent called the deletion unconstitutional censorship.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
The Supreme Court considers a principal's deletion of pages from a curricular high-school newspaper. The opinion expressly reserves the question of comparable deference at universities.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Brennan disputes the majority's standard for school-sponsored student expression.
After the quotation
His dissent challenges the scope of the deletion as well as the rule permitting it.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Brennan condemns the censorship challenged in the case.
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More from this case
Read the full caseWhite upholds editorial control over curricular student speech
“educators do not offend the First Amendment by exercising editorial control over the style and content of student speech in school-sponsored expressive activities so long as their actions are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Brennan condemns the newspaper-page deletions as censorship". First published: 2026-11-02. Last updated: 2026-11-02. https://disputeindex.com/events/7678-brennan-argues-that-the-principal-violated-students-speech