Watts v. Seward School Board (1967)
- Docket
- 325
- Decided
- 1967-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Should this case be vacated and remanded for further consideration in light of a change to the Alaska statute used in this case? Conclusion: Yes. In a per curiam decision, the eight-justice majority held that the change in Alaska’s statute was directly relevant to this case. Therefore, it was necessary that the case be reversed and remanded to the Supreme Court of Alaska for further consideration. While Justice William O. Douglas and Justice Hugo L. Black concurred with the reverse and remand decision in this case, they said they would have reversed the decision outright for reasons Justice Douglas stated in his concurring opinion in Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District . In that case, a teacher was dismissed from his job for sending a letter to a local newspaper criticizing financial decisions of the board and the superintendent of his school. In his opinion, Justice Douglas highlighted that it is not reason enough to limit free speech because words are “malicious” or have a “reckless disregard for the truth.” Justice White dissented without writing a separate opinion.