Case Involving Cheerleaders and Free Speech Turns on Mootness Doctrine

By Barbara Osborne   It’s a scene out of Friday Night Lights. For years, the cheerleaders at Kountze High School have made and held up banners for the football players to break as they run onto the football field. These banners have generally contained messages that are intended to encourage or inspire the team and the fans. The cheerleaders have always chosen the messages, which were approved by the sponsors of the cheerleading squad.   For the 2012 season, the cheerleaders chose to