A dispute over a high school senior's school parking space led to a court battle in which a federal judge ruled Friday (October 9th) that the Louisiana student can have a portrait of President Trump painted in his space. Pine Junior-Senior High School near Franklinton gave seniors the chance the paint their assigned parking spaces for a $25 fee, and student Ned Thomas had a portrait of Trump painted in his. However, Superintendent Frances Varnado, with the school board's approval, painted over the image, saying it was too political, and that she was concerned it would, quote, "cause further division and disruption among students." Thomas' parents filed a federal lawsuit, and U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon ruled in their favor on First Amendment grounds, writing, "The painting of President Trump cannot reasonably be described as obscene or plainly offensive on its face, nor can it be construed as school-sponsored speech." Thomas says he's going to have the Trump portrait repainted.
Thomas says, his pal who painted it for $200 will come back and fix the image. "It's not anything obscene or absurd or anything to that extent, it’s just a picture of the president of the United States."