Newton resigns.  Is the case over?

            Jeffry Newton has decided to resign his position at Spotswood High School, apparently because he believes that the suit filed by him and others will not be successful in light of Judge Michael’s ruling denying their motion for a preliminary injunction.  The resignation of Mr. Newton may very well end this lawsuit even though there are other plaintiffs in the case.

The plaintiffs’ claims as they currently stand are that Mr. Newton’s rights were violated by not being allowed to post a banned books list on the outside of his classroom door.  All of the other plaintiffs, (the American Library Association and other organizational plaintiffs and the students), claim that their rights were violated because they were not allowed to view the list as Mr. Newton had been directed to remove it.  Other than Mr. Newton, none of the plaintiffs has claimed a right to post the list.  Therefore, all of the other plaintiffs’ claims depend upon Mr. Newton’s assertion that he had a right to post the list in the first place.  At this juncture the plaintiffs will need to either recruit another faculty member from Spotswood High School or amend their pleadings before this suit will have any chance of success.