Students punished for wearing American flag shirts on Cinco De Mayo getting an appeal

by Austin Petersen

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A federal appeals court is considering a lawsuit filed by parents of three former high school students who were ordered to remove their American flag shirts on Cinco De Mayo.

The Live Oak High School had been struggling with racial tensions at the time and wanted to alleviate some of the pressure by forcing the three boys to either turn their shirts inside out or go home.

The lawsuit was initially dismissed, on “public safety” grounds. The students appealed however, arguing their First Amendment rights were violated. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeal has begun hearing arguments and will rule some time in the next few months.

Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.