On Tuesday, a federal appeals court sided with a Michigan school district in a legal battle concerning free speech rights and “Let’s Go Brandon” shirts, which were a satirical dig at then-President Joe Biden.

The controversy began when the mother of two boys claimed their First Amendment rights were infringed upon after they were instructed to remove the shirts at Tri County Middle School in 2022. The shirts had been Christmas gifts for the boys.

However, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the mother’s claim in a 2-1 decision.

Judges John Nalbandian and Karen Nelson Moore explained, “In a school setting, vulgarity takes precedence over political expression. The protection afforded to political speech does not grant students unlimited freedom to use vulgar language at school, even if such language is disguised as innuendo or euphemism.”

The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” gained notoriety in 2021 during a NASCAR race when a profanity directed at Biden was misheard by a TV sports reporter as “Let’s Go, Brandon,” quickly becoming a slogan among Biden’s conservative detractors.

The school said it wasn’t prohibiting political messages, just vulgar ones.

There was evidence that some students wore clothing that said, “Make America Great Again,” or had messages supporting President Donald Trump.

Judge John Bush disagreed with the majority opinion and said the wrong legal standard was applied.

“The phrase at issue here is a euphemism for political criticism. It contains no sexual content, no graphic imagery, and no actual profanity,” he said. “To the extent that it implies an offensive phrase, it does so obliquely — by design.”