In a distressing demonstration of judicial overreach and educational system malfunction, a California judge has essentially declared that a seven-year-old girl does not possess First Amendment rights because of her tender age. This ruling came about after the young student, courageously adding “any life” beneath a “Black Lives Matter” slogan on her artwork, was subjected to harsh disciplinary measures by Viejo Elementary in Orange County. Such actions included banning her from recess and drawing, merely because she expressed a viewpoint that diverged from the woke ideology, despite her attempt to promote inclusivity among her racially-mixed friends.
US Central District Court Judge David Carter’s decision not only undermines the foundational principles of free speech but also blatantly ignores the rights of the youngest Americans to express their thoughts—a right supposedly protected regardless of age. His rationale? That an elementary school is not a “marketplace of ideas” and that students of such young ages need protection from potentially denigrating speech. This is not only a paternalistic overstep but a severe misjudgment that stifles the very discourse that education is supposed to nurture.
According to Judge Carter, the decision to discipline the girl, known only as B.B. in the lawsuit, belongs to the school administration, not federal courts, suggesting a passivity in judicial oversight that is deeply troubling. This stance effectively hands unchecked power to school officials to curb free speech, punishing a child under the guise of protecting others from offense—a slippery slope towards educational authoritarianism.
This ruling is not just an isolated incident; it’s a symptom of a broader issue within our education system where ideological indoctrination is enforced at the expense of fundamental American values like free speech. The focus has shifted from educating to indoctrinating, where diversity in thought is no longer tolerated, and the narrative of oppressor vs. oppressed is strictly controlled.
As this case moves to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, it stands as a critical juncture for the preservation of our constitutional rights from the earliest ages. If we fail to defend these rights within our schools, we’re not just failing our children; we’re failing our future. Parents and citizens alike must remain vigilant and assertive in challenging such overreaches, ensuring that our educational institutions remain places of learning and growth, not woke indoctrination centers that stifle individual thought and speech.
