Updated
Updated · Bloomberg Law · Jul 30
Texas Court Denies Principal's Reinstatement Bid Over 1st Amendment Claims
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg Law · Jul 30

Texas Court Denies Principal's Reinstatement Bid Over 1st Amendment Claims

3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg Law · Jul 30

Summary

  • A Texas federal judge refused to preliminarily reinstate a school principal who was reassigned after backlash over religious social media posts.
  • The court said she was unlikely to show an adverse employment action because the move put her in a higher-paying, less stressful role made for safety reasons.
  • That finding undercut both her First Amendment retaliation claim and her 14th Amendment equal protection claim at the injunction stage.
  • The ruling leaves the reassignment in place while the broader lawsuit over the district's response to the public backlash proceeds.

Insights

Can a school district silence a principal's controversial speech simply by giving her a higher-paying job?
When does a lucrative promotion secretly mask an unconstitutional punishment for a public employee's personal social media posts?