The Liberty Justice Center has secured a major First Amendment victory on behalf of Corey DeAngelis—the nation’s leading “school choice evangelist” and a board member of the Liberty Justice Center—in a federal lawsuit against a Kentucky school district.
In 2024, the Pulaski County School District used its official website and social media pages to campaign against Amendment 2, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have expanded school choice across Kentucky. When Corey DeAngelis publicly criticized this unlawful use of government resources, the district responded by deleting comments, freezing public discussion, and blocking DeAngelis from its Facebook page—in violation of the First Amendment.
Under the terms of a federal consent decree entered on July 2, the Pulaski County School District has agreed to protect against viewpoint-based discrimination on its official social media platforms and to provide mandatory First Amendment and transparency training to its communications staff. The district has also agreed to pay attorneys’ fees incurred during the litigation.
“This is a win for every parent and citizen who wants to advocate freely on behalf of students,” said Corey DeAngelis. “I’m grateful to the Liberty Justice Center for defending my voice.”
“Government officials can’t censor people online just because they don’t like what they’re saying—and it was particularly disturbing to see a school district using taxpayer resources to shut down speech that was meant to advocate for kids,” said Dean McGee, Director of Educational Freedom at the Liberty Justice Center. “To their credit, the Pulaski County School District ultimately chose to resolve the case constructively, rather than doubling down and forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for a drawn-out legal fight.”
The Liberty Justice Center remains committed to defending the First Amendment rights of parents, advocates, and whistleblowers whose speech rights come under fire.
The Liberty Justice Center’s legal filings in DeAngelis v. Pulaski County Board of Education are available here. Covington, Kentucky-based attorney Steven Megerle served as local counsel on the matter.