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Appeals Court Sides with ACLU, Finds Watson Chapel Students' Free Speech Rights Violated (09/02/2008)
LITTLE ROCK — Today the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of a federal judge in finding that the Watson Chapel School District (WCSD) violated the First Amendment rights of students when they disciplined them for wearing black armbands to protest the student apparel policy. In October 2006 the ACLU of Arkansas filed suit against WCSD alleging the district violated the free speech rights of those students and a federal judge agreed. The school district appealed to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, and today that Court upheld the lower court's ruling. The Court said that by winning this lawsuit, the student plaintiffs did something "that benefitted all of the students in the school" and "vindicated" students' right to free speech.

ACLU joins defense of academic freedom at MIT (08/19/2008)
BOSTON - Today, in a case with national importance for academic freedom and freedom of speech, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts are seeking to lift a gag order on three MIT students who have discovered flaws in the electronic "Charlie Card" and "Charlie Ticket" payment systems used by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The hearing in MBTA v. Anderson takes place in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts today, August 19, at 10:30 a.m., in the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse, Courtroom 9, before Judge George A. O'Toole, Jr.

Federal Court Says Ban on Alcohol-Related Advertising in College Publications Violates Free Speech (04/01/2008)

ACLU of Arkansas Applauds Decision by Arkansas Technical University President to Lift Ban on Showing Sondheim-Weidman Musical, “Assassins” (02/29/2008)
Little Rock, Arkansas – Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas applauded the decision by Arkansas Technical University President Robert Brown to lift the ban he had imposed on the Theater Department showing the Sondheim-Weidman musical, “Assassins.” Dr. Brown first announced he would permit only one closed performance of the musical for family members of the cast. He later postponed the play indefinitely, “out of respect for the families of victims” of shootings at other campuses, because of the play’s “portrayal of graphically violent scenes.” The University later indicated that concerns about security issues that might be raised by the sounds of gunfire in the production prompted the postponement.

ACLU Urges William & Mary to Allow Controversial Show to Go On (02/04/2008)
Richmond, VA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today faxed a letter to William & Mary President Gene Nichol urging him to allow a performance of the Sex Workers’ Art Show to take place tonight as scheduled. The letter also informs him that a special contract the college is requiring sponsoring students and performers to sign is unconstitutional.

School District Affirms Student Speech Rights After 10th Grader Punished for ‘gay? fine by me’ T-Shirt (12/07/2007)
NEW YORK -- The Spencer-Van Etten School District has met a demand from the New York Civil Liberties Union that it send a message directly to its student body affirming students’ constitutional right to free speech. The development occurred in response to the censorship of a Tioga County High School student for wearing a “gay? fine by me” T-shirt.

ACLU of Southern California Asks Chapman University to Restore Free Speech Rights to Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity Members (10/03/2007)
ORANGE, CA - The ACLU of Southern California is asking administrators of Chapman University to restore the free speech and association rights of a group of students affiliated with the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity on their campus.

California Judge Strikes School Dress Code That Banned Winnie-the-Pooh Socks (07/05/2007)
NAPA, CA - A federal judge has blocked a middle school from enforcing an overly strict dress code that got a student punished for wearing Winnie-the-Pooh socks. The court ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California against the Napa Valley Unified School District and Redwood Middle School.

Supreme Court Upholds Vermont Student’s Free Speech Rights (06/27/2007)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the political free speech rights of a Williamstown Middle School student, putting to rest a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont three years ago.

ACLU Slams Supreme Court Decision in Student Free Speech Case (06/25/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today criticized the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in Morse v. Frederick, which held that Alaska public school officials did not violate a student's free speech rights by punishing him for displaying a banner during a public event.

Censorship of Gay Student Is Discriminatory Free Speech Violation, Says ACLU of New Jersey (06/25/2007)
NEWARK - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey in a letter sent today called on the Newark Public Schools to rescind last week's decision to censor hundreds of East Side High School yearbooks that included a photo of a male student kissing his boyfriend. The ACLU-NJ advised the school district that its censorship of this photo violates free speech and New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination.

ACLU of Virginia and College Newspapers Say Ad Restrictions Violate Free Speech Rights (05/31/2007)
RICHMOND, VA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today appeared in federal court to challenge a state policy that violates the free speech rights of students by restricting alcohol advertisements in college newspapers.

The Devil Wears Winnie-the-Pooh? Lawsuit Charges Napa Middle School Dress Code Goes Too Far (03/20/2007)
NAPA, CA – Last year, 7th-grader Toni Kay Scott was sent to the principal’s office not because of a revealing see-through top, spiked collar or platform heels – but because her socks featured a picture of the Winnie-the-Pooh character Tigger.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court Not to Abandon Landmark Student Free Speech Ruling (03/19/2007)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to abandon its famous 1969 ruling that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

NYCLU Says School District Cannot Suspend Students Who Fought Censorship by Reciting Vagina Monologues (03/13/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union today expressed its strong support for three Westchester public high school students who were suspended for saying the word "vagina" during their performance last week of a passage from Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues.

Student in Supreme Court Free Speech Case Speaks About Suspension Over "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" Banner (03/02/2007)
NEW YORK - In a teleconference with reporters today, 23-year-old Joseph Frederick spoke publicly for the first time in more than a year about his challenge to a 2002 high school suspension for displaying a sign saying "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" at an off-campus event not sponsored by the school.

ACLU of Arkansas Says Watson Chapel School Dress Code Violates Free Speech (02/22/2007)
LITTLE ROCK, AR - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas filed papers in federal court today charging that the dress code policy of the Watson Chapel School District violates the free expression rights of students. The move comes in a lawsuit brought by the ACLU on behalf of Watson Chapel students who were disciplined for wearing black armbands to protest the school dress code and its harsh, inconsistent enforcement.

Rhode Island Officials Rule School Can't Censor Teen's Yearbook Photo (01/19/2007)
PROVIDENCE, RI - In an important victory for students' free speech rights, the Rhode Island Department of Education today ordered Portsmouth High School to publish a yearbook photo of a student dressed in a medieval costume. The education commissioner agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island that school officials improperly used the district's "zero tolerance" weapons policy to reject 17-year-old Patrick Agin's senior portrait because he posed with a prop sword.

ACLU Files Federal Lawsuit On Behalf of Pennsylvania Student Suspended Over Remark (12/19/2006)
PITTSBURGH — The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a former Beaver County student charging that the school district violated the student’s First Amendment rights when it punished him for a single, spontaneous remark he made in response to repeated teasing.

ACLU of New Jersey Applauds Ruling in Favor of Student's Right to Sing "Awesome God" (12/12/2006)
NEWARK, NJ - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey today praised a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Freda L. Wolfson protecting the religious expression rights of students. The court held that a Frenchtown Elementary School student had the right to sing the song "Awesome God" at a school talent show. The ACLU of New Jersey submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the student.