Copy of Yeo v. Lexington
Published on Nov 18, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
YEO VS. LEXINGTON
BY: DANIELA SALMAN & KARTHIK GATTEPALLI
Basic Information
In 1997, Lexington High School went against running an ad in the school yearbook by a parent named Douglas Yeo that said "ABSTINENCE: The Healthy Choice". The yearbook staff at the school had a policy that political ads are not allowed therefore they couldn't run Yeo's advertisement. Although they refunded his money and ad, Yeo was angry about their policy and sued the superintendent, the principal, the advisers of the yearbook and newspaper and the Lexington school committee. Yeo claimed that they had violated the First Amendment (freedom of speech) and the Fourteenth Amendment (right to due process).
Issue:
The school believed that they should had been able to censor inappropriate material but Yeo claims that they had taken away his freedom of speech.
Implications of The Case:
The court decision was that although no one can be denied their right to freedom of speech, that doesn't stop school publications from being able to censor speech that is inappropriate.
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Holding:
The local and state courts sided with Yeo at first and agreed that he should have the right to publish whatever he wants because he has freedom of speech and press. Later on though, the courts came to the conclusion that the school shouldn't be punished for wanting to censor material that goes in their yearbook.
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Reasoning:
Although individuals do have freedom of speech and press, if you choose not to publish something, then that is your choice. The school runs what goes in the yearbook, therefore they decide what they want published.
Verdict:
Because the yearbook staff gets the freedom to publish whatever they want, they are allowed to refuse to put certain ads they feel are inappropriate therefore they did not put Yeo's ad in their yearbook. This does not violate any individual rights. The long term effect is that schools are now able to regulate what is being put in their school without it violating our rights.
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How does this apply to student publications?
-1st Amendment, freedom of speech and press
-14th Amendment, right to due process
-equal protection rights
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Works cited
--"Brief 3 Censorship." Brief 3 Censorship. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
-"YEO v. TOWN OF LEXINGTON." Findlaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
-Yeo vs Lexington." Court Orders. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
-"YEO v. TOWN OF LEXINGTON." Findlaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
-Yeo vs Lexington." Court Orders. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
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