Supreme Court gives cheerleader victory in school free speech case

The nation's public schools have no general power to punish students for what they say off campus, the Supreme Court said Wednesday.

The 8-1 ruling broadened First Amendment protections in an era when school children are in nearly constant contact with one another through social media and text messages. The decision did not protect all off-campus expression, but the court suggested that the exceptions, to be worked out in future cases, would be limited.

"The leeway the First Amendment grants to schools," in light of the special characteristics of off-campus expression, "is diminished," wrote Justice Stephen Breyer.