MEDFORD, Ore. — A school bus company has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by an Oregon driver fired for refusing to take a Confederate battle flag off his pickup truck while parked on school property.
A lawyer for First Student Inc. argued Thursday that the flag was not political speech protected by the U.S. Constitution, but merely a private expression of Webber’s “redneck” lifestyle.
The flag is emblazoned with the word “redneck.”
The company says they fired Webber for insubordination after the Phoenix-Talent School District told them the flag violated a policy prohibiting symbols that express racism or white supremacy.
Webber’s lawyer argued that even as an expression of lifestyle, the flag amounts to protected speech.
Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke didn’t say when he would make a decision.
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