SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined two amicus briefs in cases addressing students’ First Amendment rights in public schools. The first is L.M. v. Town of Middleborough, which involves a challenge to a middle school’s dress code policy, pending in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The second is Parents Defending Education v. Olentangy Local School District Board of Education, which challenges school policies that mandate the use of preferred pronouns and is pending in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
In L.M. v. Town of Middleborough, the attorney general coalition supports the plaintiff’s request to reverse the district court’s denial of a preliminary injunction. The plaintiff argues the school is discriminating between different viewpoints, allowing some messages while prohibiting others from applying its campus dress code.
In Parents Defending Education v. Olentangy Local School District Board of Education, the coalition of States backs the plaintiff, asking the appeals court to reverse the district court’s denial of a preliminary injunction in that case as well. The plaintiff argues that school policies that punish students for failing to address other students with preferred pronouns violate students’ First Amendment rights.
The State of South Carolina led the brief in L.M. v. Town of Middleborough. Joining this brief were the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia.
The States of South Carolina and Ohio led the brief in Parents Defending Education v. Olentangy Local School District Board of Education. Joining this brief were the States of Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia.
