Supreme Court Votes 8-1 In Favor Of Cheerleader Suspended For Snapchat Video

The Supreme Court has ruled 8-1 in favor of a cheerleader who claimed her First Amendment rights were violated when her high school's junior varsity squad suspended her for a Snapchat video she made off campus. Brandi Levy, the 14-year-old cheerleader at the center of the story, argued that the profanity-laced video should not have warranted a suspension. The Supreme Court agreed in a landslide vote.

The story began after a Snapchat video, released by Levy, spread a profanity-laced message and repeated crude gestures that were supposedly aimed at the school and its cheerleading squad. Levy's frustrations stemmed from failure to be promoted to varsity cheerleading.

According to the NPR interview, Levy said she was "really upset and frustrated at everything," which is what led to her Snapchat rant.

The video's most vulgar excerpt came when Levy shouted, "F* the school. … F* cheer, F*** everything."

After officials from the school in Pennsylvania discovered the video, they informed Levy that she would be suspended because of the content expressed by the teenager. Levy's family then filed a lawsuit against the school, taking the matter all the way up to the Supreme Court for a federal ruling.

Per the Supreme Court, the school was guilty of overreach with its punishment for off-campus behavior, and such violations were in conflict with First Amendment rights without substantial evidence that the rant called out any individuals directly.

For better or worse, free speech is still champion.