Head v. Board of Trustees of California State University

2007 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 393 (2007)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Head v. Board of Trustees of California State University

California Court of Appeal
2007 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 393 (2007)

Facts

Stephen Head (plaintiff) was an undergraduate student in the teaching-credential program at San Jose State University. Head filed a grievance with the university regarding a course titled “Social, Philosophical and Multicultural Foundations of Secondary Education,” taught by Professor Helen Kress. In his grievance, Head, who received an “F” in the course, challenged his grade, the course curriculum, and the treatment Head received from Kress while in the course. Head also alleged that the university’s use of “professional dispositions” throughout his degree program was unconstitutionally vague and violative of Head’s First Amendment rights to free speech. These professional dispositions did not regulate a student’s speech but were part of the university’s academic standards in the education-degree program and meant to develop certain approaches to effective teaching. Head alleged that professional dispositions amounted to speech codes that required education students to adopt a particular set of beliefs. Head further alleged that Kress violated his First Amendment rights in Kress’s class and discriminated against White males with conservative views. The university’s Student Fairness Committee rejected Head’s grievance, finding that Head’s First Amendment rights had not been violated and that his grade in Kress’s class was properly based on Head’s academic performance. Head filed a lawsuit against university officials (defendants), seeking a review of Head’s denied grievance. The trial court ruled in favor of the university officials, and Head appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Elia, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership