School shuts down award-winning paper over pronouns
Administrators at Nebraska's Northwest Public School have closed their decades-old newspaper three days after it printed its June edition, which included "Pride and prejudice: LGBTQIA+," an article on the history of both Pride Month and homophobia. The edition also had an editorial about Florida's infamous "Don't Say Gay" law.

District officials have given no reasoning for the decision so far, but an email from an employee to the Grand Island Independent said it was "because the school board and superintendent are unhappy with the last issue's editorial content."

A month before the paper's closing, its staff was reprimanded for publishing students' preferred pronouns and names, and officials had told students afterward that they could only use names assigned at birth.

"It sounds like a ham-fisted attempt to censor students and discriminate based on disagreement with perspectives and articles that were featured in the student newspaper," said Sara Ripps, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union's Nebraska chapter.

"The decision by the administration to eliminate the student newspaper violates students' right to free speech," said Max Kautsch, attorney at the Nebraska Press Association, "unless the school can show a legitimate educational reason for removing the option to participate in a class... that publishes award-winning material. It is hard to imagine what the legitimate reason could be."

DeSantis and prosecutor lock horns over reinstatement
After suspending Democratic prosecutor Andrew Warren for statements about not pursuing charges in abortion, Trans rights, and certain low-level cases, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is now urging a federal judge to throw out a free speech lawsuit Warren filed to be reinstated as state attorney.

"Mr. Warren had no First Amendment right, as a public official, to declare that he would not perform his duties under Florida law," wrote state Solicitor General Henry C. Whitaker in a filing for DeSantis.

Warren responded in an email statement, "This is a poor defense of an indefensible abuse of power. The fact that taxpayers continue to foot the bill for this makes it even more shameful." He argued his suspension went against the will of the people who elected him.

Before his suspension, Warren signed a joint statement with prosecutors across the country refusing to prosecute those who seek, provide, or support abortions or gender-affirming care. The statement also decried policies around crimes involving police stops of pedestrians and cyclists, known locally as charges that come from "biking while Black."

DeSantis has already appointed another judge to replace Warren, who has received support for his lawsuit through briefs filed by legal scholars and members of the state Constitution Revision Commission.