Killian Nine
The Killian Nine were a group of high school students at
Reaction to the pamphlet
Once school authorities discovered the identities of the Killian Nine, the students were pulled from their classes one by one and threatened with arrest. After the students each gave a written statement, the school security handcuffed them and had them arrested.
The students who were under 18 years of age were taken to Miami Dade County Juvenile Center, and those over 18, were sent to Turner Guilford Knight Jail. All of the "Killian Nine" were booked and fingerprinted. In addition, Liliana Cuesta, who was responsible for labeling the pamphlet "First Amendment" and assembling the pamphlet itself, was subjected to a strip search. The students were suspended for 10 days,[3] and later expelled.[4][5]
These arrests marked the first time that Florida Statute 836.11 (1945) was applied. The 53-year-old statute prohibited anonymous publication, if doing so "tends to expose any individual or religious group to hatred, contempt, ridicule or obloquy."[citation needed]
Charges were eventually dropped[6] but the ACLU decided to file suit.
The civil lawsuit
In March 1999, the Greater Miami Chapter of the
In 2002, a federal appellate court found that Cuesta's arrest did not violate her constitutional rights.[7]
References
- ^ "'Killian Nine' student loses in appeals court". 2002. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ a b "'Killian Nine' student challenges strip search". 2001. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
- ^ "Miami School Bars Return Of 9 Behind Racist Pamphlet". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
- ^ "9 Teens Behind Racist Pamphlet Are Free Of Hate-crime Charges". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
- ^ "'Killian Nine' student loses in appeals court". STUDENT PRESS LAW CENTER. 1 May 2002. Retrieved 4 September 2023.