The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that a student could pursue his lawsuit against Georgia Perimeter College for restricting his speaking out on campus about his Christian faith. The college changed its policy and attempted to declare the case moot, but the Court said that the student could pursue his free speech case by seeking $1 in damages. (Kentucky Today, March 8, 2021, by Scott Barkley)
Writing for the majority, Clarence Thomas said the token amount satisfied the requirement that federal courts decide only actual cases. He said the token amount was concrete so consequential. Chief Justice John Roberts, the lone dissenter, said the approach would burden the federal courts with cases asking for opinions whenever a plaintiff adds a dollar amount to a lawsuit. (The New York Times, March 8, 2021, by Adam Liptak)