Fighting for your First Amendment rights is a nice concept, but paying for it is another matter. The Pacific Legal Foundation spent $1.49 million fighting for the First Amendment rights of student Andrew Smith, who in 2001 wrote an article in the Novato High School student paper that was censored illegally by school administrators. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now the California Court of Appeals in San Francisco has affirmed a decision that the school district, which violated Smith’s rights, only has to pay $336,350 in attorney’s fees instead of the $1.49 million sought by Smith’s lawyers.

If you’re researching this, here are three links:

• Appeals Court’S unpublished ruling on legal fees inPDF format.

• Student Press Law Center’s report.

• Previous Press Club postings on this case.