Just yesterday, a court in Churchill County, Nevada upheld the First Amendment by ruling that a disgruntled teacher who was the subject of a school newspaper story could not sue over the article's truthful content.
A student journalist, Lauren MacLean, investigated student concerns over the teacher's role in musical auditions and the article was printed in Churchill High's school paper. The ensuing controversy, known as "Choirgate", ended with the teacher suing the school's journalism adviser, principal, and superintendent for permitting the story to go to print. Fortunately, the judge recognized that the First Amendment protects truthful journalism, and that a court of law was the wrong place to litigate this fight.
The ACLU is thrilled that this decision ensures that lawsuits cannot be used to shut down the free flow of ideas, even on a high school campus. As we always say around here, the cure for bad speech is more speech--if you disagree with a news story, consider an editorial retort rather than a lawsuit.
Read the news story here.
