"Why Are You Suing My Girlfriend?" An Interview With The Plaintiff In Florida's Surprise Book Ban Ruling

In his solo podcast debut, Eddie asks Judi Hayes why she is suing Steph (13:02)! Judi Hayes, a public education advocate and mom of two OCPS students, is the Plaintiff in a lawsuit that sues the State Board of Education and the Orange County and Volusia County School Boards, which includes Steph in her official role (not in her unofficial role as a co-host of this podcast). Judi provides some answers, discusses the importance of having a broad array of books that serve all students on school library shelves, and describes how the State is trying to redefine well established First Amendment law (20:47). Eddie and Judi then discuss the broader implications of banning books and quashing free expression (26:21). Judi relates the State's argument that school library books are "government speech" and therefore not subject to the First Amendment, and how Judge Mendoza thoroughly crushed that argument in his Order. (36:19). Judi and Eddie discuss their thoughts on how OCPS should respond and its options as it relates to this Order (41:03). They end the episode sharing the potential outcomes of this lawsuit (48:20).    Follow us: Judi Hayes Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller Lucero Music