Nearly 35 years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, on January 13, 1988, that Hazelwood East High School had the right to censor its student newspaper. The landmark decision set a precedent that’s allowed administrators at other high schools and colleges to restrict students’ free speech — and, decades later, the decision still rankles Cathy Kuhlmeier. In 1983, she was an editor at the Hazelwood East newspaper. She would become the named plaintiff in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. Cathy Kuhlmeier reflects on the legacy of the court case, and why she’s still fighting it.
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