OnE TokE over the line Sweet JesuS
Court upholds "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner
Get a 'whiff' of this one:
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An Alaska high school violated a student's free speech rights by suspending him after he unfurled a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" across the street from the school, a federal court ruled on Friday.
Joseph Frederick, a student at Juneau-Douglas High School in Alaska, displayed the banner -- which refers to smoking marijuana -- in January 2002 to try to get on television as the Olympic torch relay was passing the school.
Principal Deborah Morse seized the banner and suspended the 18-year-old for 10 days, saying he had undermined the school's educational mission and anti-drug stance.
Friday's ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned a decision by a federal court in Alaska that backed Frederick's suspension and said his rights were not violated.
The appeals court said the banner was protected speech because it did not disrupt school activity and was displayed off school grounds during a non-curricular activity.
"Public schools are instrumentalities of government, and government is not entitled to suppress speech that undermines whatever missions it defines for itself," Judge Andrew Kleinfeld wrote in the court's opinion.
The court also cleared the way for Frederick to seek damages, saying Morse was aware of relevant case law and should have known her actions violated his rights."
OK sweet readers..I'm speechless.
Anyone got a good rant left in them?
Check out GM's Corner for more on education and 'appeasement'.
8 Comments:
At 3:31 PM, WomanHonorThyself said…
Hey Parkav..take ya time..soakkkkkkkkkk it all in..heh.
At 4:31 PM, Brooke said…
9th court, huh. Didn't see that one coming; they'd let you get away with anything.
At 4:54 PM, Gayle said…
Hi Angel! I don't have time for a "good rant." 24 is about to start. It's the only tv program I will not miss.
I wish Keifer Sutherland weren't a liberal though. Dang! :)
At 5:53 PM, Lady Jane said…
I agree with the Principal!
What a stupid kid!
At 6:05 PM, Anna said…
He would have had a better chance of publicity if it had been one of the political Mohammed cartoons.
Teenagers don't think, but to give this kid the right to sue for damages is idiotic!
At 7:35 PM, WomanHonorThyself said…
I hear ya'll!..wake me when this is over!
At 7:39 PM, LomaAlta said…
The granola court, the good ol' 9th, is sure full of fruits and nuts and flakes.
Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between the ACLU lawyers and the judges.
At 9:43 PM, Unknown said…
What was this Judge thinking? Or maybe he was looking to this kid to be his next supplier? He's definately smoking something other that Burley leaves in his pipe.
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