Appeals court upholds ban in T-shirt case

NEW ORLEANS, LA Waxahachie High School and school district officials barred 15-year-old sophomore Paul "Pete" Palmer from wearing the shirts to school in September 2007. He sued, alleging that school and district officials infringed on his free-speech rights.

A federal judge in Dallas denied Palmer a court order to allow him to wear shirts displaying political messages to school. In a 15-page opinion filed Thursday in New Orleans, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concurred.

The three-judge panel says the dress code is "content-neutral" and intended to avert distractions from education. Since dress outside school and message buttons are allowed, the judges ruled that civil rights aren't violated.

      QUICK HEADLINES | MORE TEXAS | GET NEWS ALERTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABC13 SOCIAL NETWORKING
Find us on Facebook® | Follow us on Twitter | More social networking
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE FROM ABC13
ABC13 widget | Most popular stories | Street-level weather
ABC13 wireless | Slideshow archive | Help solve crimes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------