First State Times

On March 8, the Supreme Court voted 8-1 in favor of holding public officials accountable for violating the constitutional rights of individuals.

The case originated from Gwinnett College in Georgia where a student, Chike Uzuegbunam, filed a lawsuit against the school because he claims that they violated his First Amendment rights by preventing him from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ on campus.

At the time, it was campus policy to prohibit students from using the right to free speech if the student’s statement “disturbs the peace and/or comfort of person(s).”

But when Gwinnet leadership sensed the precariousness of their situation they decided to change their policy in favor of Uzuegbunam. The school then argued that Uzuegbunam could no longer claim damages because by changing their policy they were no longer violating his right to free speech.

The Supreme Court disagreed with the school’s argument and said that despite the change in policy, the damage had already been done. The Court said, “Uzuegbunam experienced a completed violation of his constitutional rights when respondents enforced their speech policies against him. Nominal damages can redress Uzuegbunam’s injury even if he cannot or chooses not to quantify that harm in economic terms.”

This ruling sets a precedent wherein if an official or institution violates the constitutional rights of an individual, that official or institution should be held accountable, even if there’s no demonstration of measurable injury that would merit more than nominal damages.