KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tommy DeFoe wore his Southern pride on his Confederate flag belt buckle Wednesday as he argued in federal court that a school dress code banning such items violated his free speech rights.
"I am fighting for my heritage and my rights as a Southerner and an American," said the lanky DeFoe, 18, during a break in the trial that started Monday in his lawsuit against the Anderson County School Board and several county education officials.
DeFoe says his great-great uncle served in the Confederate army and "died for the South" in the Civil War.