{"id":2578406,"date":"2026-03-10T22:32:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T02:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9th-circuit-upholds-first-graders-free-speech-rights-in-black-lives-matter-case\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T22:33:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T02:33:36","slug":"9th-circuit-upholds-first-graders-free-speech-rights-in-black-lives-matter-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9th-circuit-upholds-first-graders-free-speech-rights-in-black-lives-matter-case\/","title":{"rendered":"9th Circuit upholds first grader&#8217;s free speech rights in &#8216;black lives matter&#8217; case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F9th-circuit-upholds-first-graders-free-speech-rights-in-black-lives-matter-case%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2578406&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a lower court\u2019s ruling, holding that a first-grade student\u2019s drawing was protected by the First Amendment. The court applied the Tinker v. Des Moines framework,saying elementary students retain free-speech rights and that schools may restrict speech only when necessary to protect the safety and well-being of students. The case involved a capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, california, where a young girl was punished for drawing a picture of her friend (who is Black) and others with the words \u201cBlack lives Matter\u201d and \u201cany life.\u201d The panel found the lower court misapplied the standard and sent the matter back to the district court for further proceedings. The Pacific Legal Foundation, which supported the student, hailed the decision as a victory for students\u2019 rights in the classroom.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">9th Circuit upholds first grader&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-push-to-rein-in-big-tech-as-federal-gears-grind-slow\/\" title=\"States Push to Rein in Big Tech as Federal Gears Grind Slow\">free speech rights<\/a> in &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-backs-principal-who-punished-first-grader-over-any-life-matters-drawing\/\" title=\"Judge Backs Principal Who Punished First Grader Over &#039;Any Life&#039; Matters ...\">black lives matter&#038;rsquo<\/a>; drawing case<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2514228\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/appeals-courts\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1537\">appeals court<\/a> handed an elementary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/schools\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1017\">school<\/a> student a significant win this week for her <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/free-speech\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1547\">free speech<\/a> rights in the classroom, vacating a lower court&rsquo;s ruling that had placed her speech rights at the whim of teachers and administrators.<\/p>\n<p>A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov\/datastore\/opinions\/2026\/03\/10\/24-1770.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov\/datastore\/opinions\/2026\/03\/10\/24-1770.pdf\">found<\/a> that the lower court did not properly apply the standard set in the 1969 Supreme Court ruling <em>Tinker v. Des Moines<\/em>, which found that a student does not lose his free speech rights at school and that schools may only restrict speech if it causes significant disruption to the learning environment. The ruling said the lower court was wrong in finding that the student&rsquo;s drawing, at the center of the dispute, was not protected by the First Amendment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/4486997\/education-department-require-universities-disclose-identities-foreign-donors\/\">Education Department to require universities to disclose identities of foreign donors<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/4482069\/harvard-outlines-workarounds-pete-hegseth-anti-ivy-order\/\">Harvard outlines workarounds to Hegseth&#8217;s anti-Ivy order<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/4481158\/medical-schools-commit-rfk-jr-plan-boost-nutrition-education\/\">Medical schools commit to RFK Jr. plan to boost nutrition education<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This case presents an important issue: to what extent is elementary students&rsquo; speech protected by the First Amendment? Applying the criteria set forth in <em>Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District<\/em>, we hold that elementary students&rsquo; speech is protected by the First Amendment, the<br \/>age of the students is a relevant factor under Tinker, and schools may restrict students&rsquo; speech only when the restriction is reasonably necessary to protect the safety and well-being of its students,&rdquo; the ruling said.<\/p>\n<p>A first-grade student, identified in court documents as B.B., was punished and banned from drawing after she drew a picture of her friend, who is black, and two others with the phrase &ldquo;black live matter&rdquo; &mdash; after being taught about Martin Luther King Jr. and the phrase &ldquo;black lives matter&rdquo; &ndash; as well as the words &ldquo;any life.&rdquo; Her lawyers claim she created the drawing to empathize with her black classmate and friend but was punished and forced to apologize to the friend for the drawing, an action the friend was allegedly confused by. B.B. and her mother sued Capistrano Unified School District for infringing on the student&rsquo;s free speech rights.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">2\/ B.B. was in first grade when she drew this picture after a classroom lesson on MLK. The principal called it &#8220;racist&#8221; and &#8220;inappropriate,&#8221; banned her from giving out drawings, and made her sit out of recess for two weeks. The family challenged these unfair punishments. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/H3uyNgwyr9\">pic.twitter.com\/H3uyNgwyr9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pacific Legal &#128481;&#9878;&#65039; (@PacificLegal) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PacificLegal\/status\/2031439678445096961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Although schools have comprehensive authority to &lsquo;prescribe and control conduct&rsquo; in schools when their actions infringe on a student&rsquo;s First Amendment rights to expression, even for an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >elementary school student<\/a>, the school has the burden of showing that its actions were reasonably undertaken to protect the safety and well-being of its students,&rdquo; the ruling said.<\/p>\n<p>The panel, made up of one appointee of former President George W. Bush and two appointees of former President Joe Biden, sent the case back to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for further proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>The Pacific Legal Foundation, which has supported B.B.&rsquo;s lawsuit against the school district in Orange County, California, celebrated Tuesday&rsquo;s ruling as a victory for students&rsquo; rights in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4478022\/supreme-court-hands-california-parents-win-over-secret-gender-transition-policy\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4478022\">SUPREME COURT HANDS CALIFORNIA PARENTS WIN OVER SECRET GENDER TRANSITION POLICY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Today&rsquo;s ruling affirms what should be obvious: Students don&rsquo;t lose their constitutional rights just because they&rsquo;re young,&rdquo; Caleb Trotter, senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, said in a statement Tuesday. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Constitution protects every student&rsquo;s right to free expression,&rdquo; Trotter said. &ldquo;No child should be punished for expressing a well-intentioned message to a friend.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 9th Circuit panel ruled this week that a first\u2011grade girl\u2019s classroom drawing about Black Lives Matter is protected under the First Amendment, overturning a lower court\u2019s decision that had left her speech subject to teachers\u2019 and administrators\u2019 discretion. The court said the lower court misapplied the Tinker v. Des Moines standard, which holds that students do not lose their constitutional rights at school and that school restrictions on speech are allowed only if they\u2019re reasonably necessary to prevent disruption and protect students\u2019 safety and well\u2011being. The panel emphasized that elementary students\u2019 speech is protected, with age being a relevant factor, and that schools may curb such speech only when necessary to safeguard students.<\/p>\n<p>The incident centers on a first\u2011grade student, identified as B.B., who drew a picture of a Black friend and two others with the caption \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d and the phrases \u201cany life,\u201d following a lesson about Martin Luther King Jr. She was punished, barred from distributing drawings, and made to miss recess for two weeks after being told to apologize to the friend, who was reportedly puzzled by the punishment. B.B. and her mother sued the Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, California, alleging a violation of her free\u2011speech rights.<\/p>\n<p>The 9th Circuit sent the case back to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for further proceedings. The Pacific Legal Foundation, which supported the family\u2019s lawsuit, hailed the ruling as a win for students\u2019 classroom rights. Caleb Trotter, a senior attorney with the group, said the Constitution protects every student\u2019s right to free expression and that no child should be punished for conveying a well\u2011intentioned message to a friend<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2578407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP24327731960145.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[73505,75516,72649,72237,75517],"class_list":["post-2578406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-9th-circuit-2","tag-black-lives-matter-2","tag-first-amendment-2","tag-free-speech-2","tag-student-speech"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP24327731960145.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2578406"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2578410,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578406\/revisions\/2578410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2578407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2578406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2578406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2578406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}