The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals invoked the Supreme Court decision Garcetti v. Caballos in ruling that a math teacher does not have a First Amendment right to display banners with such messages as “In God We Trust” in his classroom. Garcetti established that public employees have no right to free speech when speaking as employees rather than citizens.
Writing for the First Amendment Center, David L. Hudson Jr. says while there are reasons to limit religious messages, the use of Garcetti establishes grounds for an administration to censor anything a teacher might want to post on the classroom walls. -db
From a commentary from the First Amendment Center, September 16, 2011, by David L. Hudson Jr.