Debating Free Speech: Students' Rights and Social Media

When Brandi Levy was 14, she posted an expletive-filled video to Snapchat, expressing her dismay at not making the varsity cheerleading squad. It got her suspended from cheerleading entirely for a year.

Can a public school deal with off-campus speech in this way without infringing the First Amendment? The Supreme Court will decide.

Guest: Adam Liptak, a reporter covering the United States Supreme Court for The New York Times.

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. 

Background reading: 

• In a lively Supreme Court argument, the justices struggled to determine how the First Amendment applies to public schools’ power to punish students for social media posts and other off-campus speech.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.