❓WHAT HAPPENED: Multiple teachers and education staff are suing their employers after being terminated or placed on leave for controversial social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Teachers, professors, and other school staff, alongside universities, school districts, and legal experts.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Lawsuits have been filed in Indiana, Iowa, South Carolina, and South Dakota over the past two weeks.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I have no thoughts or prayers for this hate spreading nazi. A shrug, maybe.” — An art professor in South Dakota
🎯IMPACT: The cases could set significant legal precedents regarding public employees’ First Amendment rights and employers’ social media policies.
Several teachers and school district employees are attempting to challenge their firings over social media posts justifying or celebrating the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, and in some instances glorifying political violence more generally. The plaintiffs, across several lawsuits, claim their terminations violate their First Amendment rights.
One of the plaintiffs, a former staff member at Ball State University in Indiana, is suing the university after being dismissed for posting on Facebook, “Charlie Kirk’s death is a reflection of the violence, fear and hatred he sowed. It does not excuse his death, AND it’s a sad truth.” Similarly, an art teacher in Iowa filed a suit after being dismissed for posting “1 Nazi down” in reference to Kirk’s assassination.
In South Carolina, an elementary school teaching assistant is suing her district over what her lawsuit claims is an unconstitutional social media policy. She was fired after quoting Kirk on gun deaths and adding the phrase “thoughts and prayers.”
Meanwhile, an art professor in South Dakota is seeking to block his termination after posting, “Where was all this concern when the politicians in Minnesota were shot? And the school shootings? And capital police? I have no thoughts or prayers for this hate spreading nazi. A shrug, maybe.”
The lawsuits follow calls from many Americans urging employers to take action against people celebrating Kirk’s assassination. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon have both expressed support for firings in such cases.
The legal challenges are expected to test the boundaries of public employees’ First Amendment rights. Some legal experts contend that public employers—unlike the private sector—must demonstrate that social media posts caused significant disruption to justify termination.
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