Supreme Court Considers a Cheerleader's Free Speech

On April 28th, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for a case that has big implications for student free speech. The case involves then 14-year-old Brandi Levy, a cheerleader at Mahanoy Area High School in Pennsylvania, and her post on the social media platform, Snapchat. One of her cheerleading coaches saw the post, which used an expletive, and suspended her from the team for a year – even though Brandi had posted on a weekend and off school property. Brandi and her family sued the school for violating her First Amendment rights. Brandi has prevailed in two lower federal court rulings but now, the Supreme Court will have the opportunity to uphold the win or rule for the school.

Brandi and her father, Larry, join us on this episode, as well as Vera Eidelman, Staff Attorney at the ACLU's Speech, Privacy and Technology project, who is working on Brandi's case.