After more than a year-long legal battle, 16-year-old Christian McGhee finally got his justice.
The Central Davidson High School student was suspended for three days back in April 2024 after asking his teacher a clarification question during an English class discussion. When the word “alien” came up, McGhee asked innocently, “Do you mean a space alien or an illegal alien without a green card?” That’s it. No insults. No mention of race. However, the school board twisted Christian question as "offensive" and suspended him without appeal or due process.
McGhee’s parents were outraged.
Represented by the Liberty Justice Center, they filed suit, arguing that their son’s suspension was not only baseless but also a clear violation of his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
BREAKING 🚨🚨🚨 We have filed a lawsuit against a North Carolina school board on behalf of Christian McGhee, a 16-year-old student whose question about the word “aliens” in class led to a harsh suspension & false accusations of racism by his own school.
— Liberty Justice Center (@LJCenter) May 7, 2024
We proudly stand beside… pic.twitter.com/GvCB5H0wlm
The case gained nationwide attention, even catching the eye of Elon Musk. The incident sparked widespread debate online, with many criticizing the school for turning a simple classroom question into a political firecracker.
This is absurd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 16, 2024
The school board went as far to attack Christian’s mother, Leah.
🚨 Texts reveal a school board member attacked Leah McGhee's character and made false allegations about her son following the school's suspension over 'Illegal Alien'.
— Liberty Justice Center (@LJCenter) June 12, 2024
The member tried to push a narrative by exploiting a past event that ultimately led Leah to serve others… pic.twitter.com/GZCGuIQES7
On June 4, 2025, the Davidson County Board of Education finally settled the case. McGhee was awarded $20,000 and a public apology.
BREAKING: Christian McGhee, the North Carolina teen who was suspended from school for using the term "illegal alien" in class, will receive $20,000 and a public apology from the Davidson County Board of Education (@dcsnc) after they falsely accused him of "racial bias." https://t.co/J4AoRY1plt pic.twitter.com/Fb1PFiJpPU
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 4, 2025
Christian McGhee is a 16-year-old kid, not a political threat. He asked a question that a teacher could have answered. Instead, they chose to punish him in the name of "political correctness." Somehow, we’ve reached a point where students are expected to walk on eggshells instead of asking questions. That’s not education; that's indoctrination.
In this case, the Constitution did its job. And the McGhee’s reminded the country of what standing up, even as a teenager, really looks like.