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June 15, 2026 / 10:11 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a free speech clash arising from an Indiana high school's decision not to allow a student-led anti-abortion rights group to hang meeting flyers that featured the message "Defund Planned Parenthood."The dispute involved the scope of students' free speech rights and schools' ability to restrict expression that could be viewed as reflecting their endorsement. A lower court had sided with the school, and the Supreme Court's denial of the case leaves that decision intact.The case dates back to 2021, when a freshman identified in court papers as E.D. launched Noblesville Students for Life, a chapter of Students for Life of America, at Noblesville High School. The club was among more than 70 "noncurriculum based" clubs at the school that are initiated and led by students. The school allows the student clubs to hang flyers advertising meeting dates, times and locations on the walls in common areas, but they must receive approval from a school administrator to be posted. The high school does not allow the posters to include content deemed "political" or "disruptive," according to court filings.After E.D. received approval to form the club, she took steps to schedule an initial meeting and submitted to the school's assistant principal two proposed flyers to inform students of the gathering. The template posters, which she obtained from the Students for Life of America website, featured photos of students holding signs that read "Defund Planned Parenthood" and "I am the Pro-Life Generation."The assistant principal denied approval of the posters and told E.D. that they should only include the club's name and information about the meeting location, date and time. E.D., accompanied by her mother, Lisa Duell, then met with the school's dean about the flyers, and they were told they could not include the phrase "Defund Planned Parenthood." The school's principal then decided to suspend Noblesville Students for Life's approval because of concerns that it was not student-led and student-driven, given the participation of E.D.'s mother, and because she refused to comply with instructions for meeting flyers. The club was reinstated in 2022 and remained active.
