The Supreme Court rejected a request to revive a Texas student\u2019s lawsuit claiming he was bullied for supporting President Trump and for being white. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brooks Warden, called B.W. in the initial suit because it was filed when he was a minor, claimed that a \u201cyears-long campaign of bullying and harassment\u201d ensued after he wore a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat on a school field trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said he was made a target because of his race and political views, as a white male whose former school district is predominantly Hispanic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWhen his teachers and classmates at his predominantly Hispanic school found out that he was not only a white male but also a Trump supporter, it was open season,\u201d the petition reads. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
He had asked the justices to let his 2020 lawsuit against Austin Independent School District, which he claimed failed to stop the alleged abuse, move forward after a divided federal appeals court affirmed a lower court\u2019s ruling throwing out the suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question at hand was whether racial harassment lawsuits can be filed even when the \u201cprimary impetus\u201d for the harassment was the challenger\u2019s political views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a federal judge dismissed the case, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld that decision. However, after the full 5th Circuit court heard Warden\u2019s case, it split 9-9 over whether to revive the lawsuit. As a result, the dismissal was affirmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a fiery dissent, 5th Circuit Judge James Ho wrote that \u201cbeing white was absolutely one\u201d of the reasons that Warden was bullied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s racist to characterize whites as racist,\u201d Ho wrote. \u201cBecause it\u2019s racist to attach any negative trait to a group of people based on their race.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Austin school district wrote in its opposition to the petition that it \u201cdoes not condone harassment or bullying of any kind\u201d and regrets Brooks\u2019s experience \u2014 but rejected the student\u2019s claims as political bluster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n