Barton Thorne, who leads Cordova High School in Shelby County, TN, was put on leave after a video address to students in January in which he warned them about Big Tech companies that “filter and…decide what you can hear and know about.”

Thorne retained the services of Liberty Justice Center, and as soon as they contacted the school district, the district lifted the suspension and reinstated Thorne.

That’s the end of the matter, right?

No. What makes this case especially noteworthy is Thorne’s and LCJ’s next action.

Though Thorne has been reinstated, he is still suing the school district over the dismissal. In a complaint filed this week, Thorne’s attorneys argued that Thorne’s statements were within the protected bounds of Shelby County Schools policy and that the school should be compelled to acknowledge that his suspension “violated the First Amendment” and that the school district “breached [its] contract” with Thorne over the dismissal.
“When they took Principal Thorne’s job away, they took his reputation away,” [LJC Senior Attorney Daniel] Suhr said. “They gave his job back, but now they need to make right on his reputation.”

Yewbetcha. Never disengage. Don’t let them loose, which only means we’ll have to fight them again.