1. Board of Education v. Pico 1982 Book Banning Case
Janelle Stone

2. Island Trees Union Free School District Board of Education
The Board ordered that certain books be removed from its district's junior high and high school libraries
The Board said the books were: "anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy."

3. Pico
Steven Pico brought suit in federal district court challenging the Board's decision to remove the books.

4. Question
Did the Board’s decision violate the First Amendment's freedom of speech protections?

5. The Court System Federal District Court
The Board won
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Reversed
The Board petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court
Granted certiorari

6. The U.S. Supreme Court March 2, 1982
Justices of the Court
Dissenting Justices
Harry A. Blackmun William J. Brennan, Jr. Thurgood Marshall John Paul Stevens Byron R. White
Warren E. Burger Sandra Day O'Connor Lewis F. Powell, Jr. William H. Rehnquist

7. Ruling June 25, 1982
The Supreme Court recognized the need for the school to uphold the social and moral values of the community
School libraries have special free speech and press rights
The Board’s power was ruled secondary to the First Amendment
Therefore, the Board could not restrict the books in the library simply because they did not agree with them

8. Related Cases Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 (1923).
Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925).
West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943).
Brown v. Louisiana, 383 U.S. 131 (1966).
Keyishian v. Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, 385 U.S. 589 (1967).
Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968).
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969).
Ambach v. Norwick, 441 U.S. 68 (1979).
Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser, 478 U.S. 675 (1986).

9. Related Books
Gold, John Coopersmith. “Board of Education V. Pico: Book Banning.” Lerner Pub Group: 1994.
Hentoff, Nat. "Censoring the Right to Live." The Progressive,February 1995, p. 19.
Peck, Robert S. and Ann K. Symons. "Kids Have First Amendment Rights, Too." American Libraries, September 1997, p. 64.
Seidman, Louis M., Gerald R. Stone, Cass R. Sunstein, Mark V. Tushnet. Constitutional Law. Little, Brown and Company: 1986.

10. Sources
"Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico by Pico (No )." Supreme Court Collection. Cornell University Law School. 28 Nov <
Goldman, Jerry. "Board Of Education v. Pico." U.S. Supreme Court Media Oyez. 28 Nov <
Harrison, Maureen, and Steve Gilbert, eds. "Book Banning: Board of Education v. Pico." Landmark Decisions of the United States Supreme Court. Vol. IV. Beverly Hills, CA: Exellent Books,
"ISLAND TREES SCH. DIST. V. PICO BY PICO, 457 U. S. 853 (1982)." Justia.com U.S. Supreme Court Center. 28 Nov <