The Eleventh U.S. Court of Appeals revived a Georgia student’s claim that Valdosta State University expelled him in 2007 for criticizing the school’s president. Hayden Barnes’ post on Facebook criticized a proposed parking garage for its adverse effect on the environment. The president, Ronald Zaccari, said he felt personally threatened by the post and expelled Barnes. Barnes won a previous claim for violation of his due process rights. The current action is to seek damages for violation of his First Amendment rights. (Student Press Law Center, January 12, 2015, by Elaina Koros)
A district federal court ruled in 2010 that Barnes was alleging a conspiracy to violate his First Amendment rights but Zaccari was the sole person responsible for expelling Barnes. The Eleventh Circuit agreed with Barnes that he had sufficiently argued that Zaccari had acted by himself in committing acts of retaliation. (FIRE, January 12, 2015, press release)