‘Clock boy’ loses discrimination lawsuit, fails to prove religious and ethnic bias

A federal judge has dismissed a discrimination lawsuit brought by the family of a Muslim student who was arrested in Texas for bringing a homemade clock to school that teachers believed to be a bomb, saying attorneys failed to prove “clock boy” was treated different based on his race or religion.

In September 2015, Ahmed Mohamed made a clock using a circuit board and a digital display.  He brought it to school to show to his teachers, one of whom heard the device beeping. Mohamed was brought to the principal's office and was then arrested and suspended for three days.

Mohamed's arrest sparked social media backlash, with many people saying he faced discrimination because of his religion and ethnicity.  He earned the nickname "clock boy" and received support throughout the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed. Even President Obama sent him a tweet.

Mohamed Mohamed, the boy’s father, filed a federal lawsuit in August 2016 against the Irving Independent School District alleging officials violated the boy’s civil rights.

On Thursday, Judge Sam Lindsay of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted the defendants' motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the plaintiffs had failed to prove officials discriminated against Mohamed.