In November 2009, the Federal appeals court in Philadelphia endorsed a school district's ban on the singing of Christmas carols.[176] The US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.[177] In the private sphere also, it has been alleged that any specific mention of the term "Christmas" or its religious aspects was being increasingly censored, avoided, or discouraged by a number of advertisers and retailers. In response, the American Family Association and other groups have organized boycotts of individual retailers.