October Term 2001 · Docket 01-332
Can schools test athletes for drugs?
A school district seeks to test students in sports. Lindsay Earls argues this violates her rights.
Verified source milestones
- — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
- — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
The arguments, in order
This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.
Argument 1 ·
What happened at the argument
The district claims a reasonable drug threat allows testing athletes.
Earls contends random testing without suspicion violates her rights.
The district cites a five percent drug use rate in its surveys.
The Court questioned the accuracy of the district's reported statistics.
Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details
Sources used for this argument breakdown
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 19, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 19, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 49-14 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 49-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 16-20 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 16-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 4-14 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 4-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 11-25 — Transcript, file page 51, lines 11-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 22-23 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 22-23
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 25-26 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 25-26
A citizen's guide to the whole case
What this case is about
The case tests the limits of school authority. It asks if random drug tests for athletes fit the Constitution.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 19, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 19, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 49-14 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 49-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 16-20 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 16-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 11-25 — Transcript, file page 51, lines 11-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 22-23 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 22-23
How the case got here
The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on March 19, 2002.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 4-14 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 4-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 25-26 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 25-26
What each side wants
The district wants to keep its drug testing program for student athletes.
Earls wants the Court to strike down the testing policy as unconstitutional.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 19, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 19, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 49-14 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 49-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 16-20 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 16-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 11-25 — Transcript, file page 51, lines 11-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 22-23 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 22-23
What each side says
The district argues that a reasonable drug threat justifies testing competitive students.
Earls argues that random testing without individual suspicion violates her privacy rights.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 19, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 19, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 49-14 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 49-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 16-20 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 16-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 11-25 — Transcript, file page 51, lines 11-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 22-23 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 22-23
What the justices asked
Does a school's drug problem justify testing athletes without individual suspicion?
How does the district's reported drug use rate affect the reasonableness of the test?
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 4-14 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 4-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 25-26 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 25-26
Why it matters
This case defines the scope of school authority over student privacy. It sets the standard for testing students in extracurricular activities. The outcome shapes how schools manage safety and constitutional rights.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 19, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 19, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 49-14 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 49-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 16-20 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 16-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 11-25 — Transcript, file page 51, lines 11-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 22-23 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 22-23
What happens next
This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 4-14 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 4-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 25-26 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 25-26
Official Court provenance
Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page
Title and summary sources
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 19, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 19, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 49-14 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 49-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 16-20 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 16-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 11-25 — Transcript, file page 51, lines 11-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 22-23 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 22-23
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 19, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 19, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 49-14 — Transcript, file page 28, lines 49-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 16-20 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 16-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 11-25 — Transcript, file page 51, lines 11-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 58, lines 22-23 — Transcript, file page 58, lines 22-23
Revision history
- Revision 1 · Official Transcript ·
Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.
- Revision 2 · Official Transcript ·
Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.