Supreme Court Declines to Hear Public School Censorship Case
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Supreme Court Declines to Hear Public School Censorship Case
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The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in the case of a Massachusetts public school student punished for wearing a shirt stating, “There are only 2 genders.”
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In an orders list released Tuesday morning, the high court declined to grant a petition for a writ of certiorari in the case of L.M. v. Town of Middleborough, Massachusetts, et. al.
As a result, an earlier ruling from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against the minor student and his parents is allowed to stand.
Justice Samuel Alito authored a dissenting opinion to the denial of the petition, which was included in the orders list. He was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas.
“This case presents an issue of great importance for our Nation’s youth: whether public schools may suppress student speech either because it expresses a viewpoint that the school disfavors or because of vague concerns about the likely effect of the speech on the school atmosphere or on students who find the speech offensive,” wrote Alito.
“So long as the First Circuit’s opinion is on the books, thousands of students will attend school without the full panoply of First Amendment rights. That alone is worth this Court’s attention.”
In March 2023, Liam Morrison, a John T. Nichols Middle School student, was removed from class and ordered to remove his shirt because it said, “There are only two genders.”
Later that year, Morrison wore the shirt again, though he put tape over the “only two” part, writing the word “censored” on the tape. Once again, school officials told him to change his clothes.
According to an interview shortly after the incident, Morrison claimed that many of his classmates supported his actions and that he encouraged people of all viewpoints to express their beliefs.
“Always fight for what you believe in. and well, never let anyone stop you from believing,” he added. “But, it’s being taken away from us. And being able to speak up not just about your own opinion, but for everybody else.”
A lawsuit was filed on his behalf by his parents, with the complaint accusing the school of violating Morrison’s First Amendment rights. The school argued that the shirt violated the official dress code, which prohibited clothing with hateful messaging.
A three-judge panel of the 1st Circuit unanimously ruled against Morrison in June 2024, upholding a lower court decision.
Circuit Chief Judge David Barron, an Obama appointee, authored the panel opinion, concluding that, under certain circumstances, “school officials may bar passive and silently expressed messages by students at school that target no specific student.”
Barron added that while “in many realms of public life one must bear the risk of being subjected to messages that are demeaning of race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation,” the court does not believe “that our public schools must be a similarly unregulated place.”
“L.M. himself acknowledged at oral argument that schools could bar silent, passive expression that described persons who identify as transgender in obviously highly demeaning terms but targeted no specific individual,” wrote Barron.
Share your prayers for the protection of the First Amendment below.
This article was originally published at The Christian Post. Photo Credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.
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Another example of satan influenced judges forcing their beliefs on the public. The entire student body should wear the tee shirt and force the school’s evil administration to show how unAmerican they are. Fire all the administration and replace them with godly people. We need to fight back or the evil will continue to make more evil demands including taking the children from parents. God help all parents to keep their God given responsibilities in raising their children and remove all these judges working for satan. I trust in God. 🙏😇🙏
It’s enough to make one want to run out and get one of those shirts! (I hope we start seeing them everywhere.)
Hate speech? speaking truthfully of a simple biological fact is not hate speech, so the judges opinion is actually hate speech to truth bearers. Per his logic the whole bible will be considered hateful words.
God, we pray for the protection of free speech in every corner of America. We pray students like Liam Morrison would be able to speak truth in school, even if that truth is deemed offensive.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the courage that Liam Morrison displayed. There are only (2) genders as Your word so accurately points out. Chief Judge David Barron gave a very vague and incomplete opinion, backed and substantiated with no clarity or content. Unlike Your word which defines and gives wise counsel, that we might not be led astray, this world chases after it’s own ideologies. May this young man’s courage in You grow. Let more and more Christians be inspired to give voice to Your truth. Turn the hearts of the deceived toward Your words of wisdom and righteousness. We praise You for the precious gift of life, the salvation through Jesus Christ, the counsel of Holy Spirit and the washing of Your word as our daily bread. To You we give all praise. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
I believe in first amendment rights for this young man and all of us for that matter. However, my question is, what was the purpose of the shirt? Did that message promote God’s kingdom. There are other ways in a public-school setting to express our beliefs. The science proves there are only two genders, those children are confused and deceived. Perhaps the young man could have befriended that population, being Yeshua-Jesus to them by actions. Perhaps freedom of speech and expression could have been established on a personal relationship basis. Just a perspective.
Father God may this generation see the hope of their calling toward their generation, to bring love and truth into the rhetoric. Protect this young man and his parents against retaliation, lose Your Shalom Shalom into this situation. Bring wisdom and understanding to the school administrators and teachers to partner with parents. May this school stick to teaching subjects that students require to be good citizens, good employees and leaders. In Yeshua’s mighty name. Amen Amen Amen – So be it accomplished.
DEAR LORD GOD
PLEASE PROTECT ALL OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT NOW AND FOR AS LONG AS YOU COMMAND.
I ASK IN JESUS’NAME
AMEN
It is not up to the government to decide what is truth. Truth has been revealed, and also can be shown in the matter of common sense. People should be able to state their perception of truth even if it is deemed offensive. I certainly find the stance that bodies do not matter and that there are thus many genders, and the odd ones should have priority, to be offensive. If I have to hear that, then they also can hear that there are only two genders, and that bodies matter here on Earth.
God bless this courageous young man with wisdom as he expresses this truth! of O2G! He will prevail and many more young people will learn to stand for truth! Open the eyes of the leaders so they may stand for truth! O2G!
Bless Liam and his parents, Lord. Give them wisdom about how to proceed from here, since his first amendment rights were not upheld by SCOTUS. It is a sad state of affairs, when the example of the young is found to be more righteous than many of the adults he should be able to look up to as examples. May his courage be contagious among his peers, and among their parents. Whether the outcome of this battle appears to be won or not – may the truth he attempted to express have an impact on individual lives confronted by it. May many make a choice to respond to that truth, in repentance. At least Liam made sure the truth was ‘spoken’ to them.
Lord, I pray that your righteous judgement would prevail in the court system. I ask that you reveal the truth to every judge sitting in the courts & bring understanding to their darkened minds so they will realize what is just & judge rightly in Jesus name! Amen!
Lord, I pray that your righteous judgement would prevail in the court system. I ask that you reveal the truth to every judge sitting in the courts & bring understanding to their darkened minds so they will realize what is judge rightly in Jesus name! Amen!
Can the Creator tolerate such injustice with twisting of truth? Look out U.S.!
Pray, as St. Paul directed, for our leaders, wisdom and moral strength.
Father I pray that you would bring wisdom to the Trump administration, as well as other Americans, who are standing up for biblical beliefs. We declare and decree the wisdom that is unlike any earthly wisdom that is so solid and impenetrable, that the convoluted schemes and lies of the enemy cannot penetrate. And that the opposite would happen. That truth would destroy lies, in the name of Jesus.
We thank you, Lord, that we have already seen evidence of this wisdom manifesting in the Trump administration as it finds the hidden gems of legal loopholes left for them, regarding all of the lawfare against his agenda.
We further declare and decree that there is truth and wisdom that the enemy has no defense or offience against., in the Almighty Name of Jesus, Yeshua ha Moshiac!
WE STAND!!!
Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Thank you Liam Morrison for standing for truth and against mental students and judges. They will stand before the One true judge and find they have come up short. Never should we bow to ideaology of the evil one who has taken bondage of those willingly.
So if he put the words of Genesis 1:27, “male and female He created them” would be banned for quoting the Bible and his beliefs. It seems to me that is a First Amendment right and are they next going to ban sharing the Gospel because it might be offensive to someone.
Many societies have already done so. Yeshua Himself offended people when He spoke truth. Luke 7:22-23 – So he answered them by saying, “Go, tell Yochanan what you have been seeing and hearing: the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking, people with tzara`at are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, the Good News is being told to the poor— and how blessed is anyone not offended by me!” How ironic that we are offended by Someone who desires to bless us in such wonderful and miraculous ways.
Another case of the Supreme Court caving to special interest over constitutional law I’m not for changing the structure of the court but political BS needs to be taken out and some kind of judicial standard implemented
This is typical of a system that relies upon self!
Supreme Court is man’s interpretation of their own opinion of what is right just to satisfy the masses.
There is only one SUPREME COURT and that’s in the HEAVENLIES not on earth run by puny people with a get along focus.
There are only TWO GENDERS by GODS design, not man’s interpretation
“GOD” have mercy on us PLEASE
Lord, where has “Common Sense” gone? The Lord made us male and female. I applaud this youngster and his parents. Lord, let YOUR TRUTH be the standard.
Lord, please reveal to the American public exactly what is wrong with the Supreme Court. Why don’t they vigorously support the protection of the First Amendment rights of we the people. Don’t they realize that WE pay their salaries as taxpayers? Lord Jesus, by Your great mercy and grace, awaken these justices to the reality and responsibility of their positions. Thank you Jesus.