US Court of Appeals Upholds Injunction in Easton’s “I (Heart) Boobies” Case


Back in 2010, Easton Area School District middle school students Brianna Hawk and Kayla Martinez made headlines when their school banned the apparently contentious “I Heart Boobies” bracelets hawked by the Keep A Breast Foundation. The case, with the girls represented by the ACLU, went to the US Court of Appeals in February, where it has been argued since. Now, though, with the ACLU calling the court’s ruling a “groundbreaking decision,” an injunction has been upheld against the bracelet ban, freeing up kids to sport them on school grounds.

Overwrought, sure, but this does mark the first time that a higher court has ruled student commentary on current issues as fully protected under the First Amendment. Of the 14 appeals judges, nine sided with Martinez and Hawk’s lawyers, saying that teens “must be free to speak and learn about important issues that affect them.” So, kids, fly your booby bracelets proudly—in the name of freedom. [Metro]