West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette

Case Overview

Held public schools cannot compel students to salute the flag or recite the pledge, overruling Gobitis only three years after it was decided, in a case brought by Jehovah's Witness schoolchildren. Justice Jackson's declaration that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion is the foundation of compelled speech doctrine.