Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya
“A federal court in Virginia recently ruled that the name of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, who is regarded as a great hero by many Americans, violates the free speech rights of black students. … The judge’s reasoning was that where a school is named after a Confederate hero, families who consider Confederate history offensive have a cause of action against the school board for the violation of their First Amendment right to free speech because school names and symbols are ‘compelled speech.’ … the Fourteenth Amendment bypasses the First Amendment, in cases involving complaints that the free speech rights of some (expressing Confederate heritage) violate the protection from compelled speech ‘as incorporated through the Fourteenth Amendment’ for civil rights groups demanding the equal protection of the law.” (10/14/25)