Category: First Amendment

Loudoun County Schools Continue Fight Against Teacher Suspended for Objecting to Transgender Policy

The legal battle persists between Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and a teacher who was suspended for opposing the school district’s policy about transgender pronouns, as opposing sides argue over whether the Virginia Supreme Court should revisit the case. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal group representing the teacher, Byron “Tanner” Cross, said it…


Student Comments on Social Media Constitutionally Protected, Supreme Court Rules in Case of Swearing Cheerleader

The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 this morning that a high school cheerleader’s First Amendment rights were violated when Pennsylvania school district officials disciplined her for a profanity-laced rant on social media. The ruling June 23 is a defeat for the Biden administration which had urged the court to let school districts suppress free speech by…


Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Cheerleader Who Swore Online, in Free-Speech Decision

The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 this morning that a high school cheerleader’s First Amendment rights were violated when Pennsylvania school district officials disciplined her for a profanity-laced rant on social media. The ruling June 23 is a defeat for the Biden administration which had urged the court to let school districts suppress free speech by…


Florida State University Settles Discrimination Lawsuit With Catholic Student for Almost $100,000

Florida State University (FSU) has reached a settlement with a former student leader who sued the school last year for violating his First Amendment rights. The settlement came nearly a year after Jack Denton, who is Catholic, was ousted from his position as the student senate president after comments he made in a private text…


Ninth Circuit Rules Against Portland Parents Who Sued School District Over Anti-Gun Activism

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit this week dismissed a case against a Portland, Oregon, public school district where students were encouraged to attend an anti-gun protest, saying that the issue was about peer pressure rather than compelled speech. The lawsuit was filed in 2019 by two couples on behalf of their…


No, the First Amendment Is Not ‘Bonkers’

Commentary Prince Harry, who recently moved to the United States, made headlines this week when he exhibited a surprising level of ignorance about the very foundation of free society and a free world. In an appearance on Dax Shepard’s podcast last Thursday, Harry brought up the First Amendment, shockingly admitting, “I’ve got so much I…


The Attack on Religions Liberty is an Attack on All Our Freedoms

More than two hundred years ago, the Founding Fathers changed the world by imbedding the fundamental human right to religious freedom in the Constitution. That right now hangs by a thread. More precisely, the First Amendment’s “free exercise” of religion clause—that is, the freedom to not just believe but act consistent with one’s faith in…


The Growing Cartel of Big Government, Big Media, and Big Tech—Rachel Bovard

“You have this growing cartel between big government, big media, and big tech” that is “punishing any individual that disagrees,” says Rachel Bovard, Senior Director of Policy at the Conservative Partnership Institute. Criticisms of mask mandates and lockdowns are being suppressed, including Governor Ron DeSantis’ roundtable with leading doctors and public policy experts. How does…


California Law Forcing Charities to Identify Donors Is Unconstitutional, Supreme Court Hears

The Supreme Court seemed sympathetic to arguments by two conservative charities this morning that a California law requiring charities to hand over the names of their donors violates the First Amendment. The case, Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, court file 19-251, and a companion case, Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta, court file 19-255, were…


New Study on Supreme Court Shows Dramatic Increase in Support for Religious Freedom

A new study of Supreme Court decisions going back to 1953 shows the nation’s highest tribunal has moved from supporting religious freedom less than half the time to almost always in recent years. “The Roberts Court has ruled in favor of religious organizations far more frequently than its predecessors, over 81% of the time, compared…