Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton
| Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton | |
|---|---|
| Argued March 28, 1995 Decided June 21, 1995 | |
| Full case name | Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton et ux., Guardians ad Litem for Acton |
| Citations | 515 U.S. 646 (more) 115 S. Ct. 2386 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Verdict for defendant in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, 796 F. Supp. 1354 (D. Or. 1992); reversed by United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 23 F.3d 1514 (9th Cir. 1994); cert. granted, 513 U.S. 1013 (1994). |
| Holding | |
| The Fourth Amendment allows random drug testing of high school students involved in athletic programs. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Scalia, joined by Rehnquist, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer |
| Concurrence | Ginsburg |
| Dissent | O'Connor, joined by Stevens, Souter |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amends. IV, XIV | |
Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton, 515 U.S. 646 (1995), was a U.S. Supreme Court decision which upheld the constitutionality of random drug testing regimen implemented by the local public schools in Vernonia, Oregon. Under that regimen, student-athletes were required to submit to random drug testing before being allowed to participate in sports. During the season, 10% of all athletes were selected at random for testing. The Supreme Court held that although the tests were searches under the Fourth Amendment, they were reasonable in light of the schools' interest in preventing teenage drug use.