Free speech victory at Palm Beach State College
Attorney sound bite: David Hacker
Although college policy demanded that speakers obtain permission to hand out materials 24 hours in advance, PBSC informed the leader of YAF that it actually completely banned literature distribution. PBSC policies further denied constitutionally protected rights by requiring advance permission from the dean two weeks prior to off-campus events held on weekends or past 9 p.m. on weekdays. At least two adult college staff members also had to be present at these activities, among several other stringent restrictions.
In January 2011, the college agreed to a court order that temporarily froze its problematic policy. The settlement in Young Americans for Freedom v. Bryant in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida replaces the speech-restrictive policy with a revised one that better protects student speech.
“From its absolute ban on literature distribution by students to its limited ‘free speech zones’ to its regulation of student group meetings–even when off campus–Palm Beach State’s policies were among the most offensive to the First Amendment,” said lead counsel Rick Nelson, one of nearly 2,200 allied attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom. “But now they have taken a much better course in permanently removing these burdensome restrictions on First Amendment-protected liberties.”
“The university is supposed to be the marketplace of ideas,” said Young Americans for Freedom Executive Director Patrick Coyle. “This settlement allows our students to participate in that marketplace once again, just as America’s founders intended.”
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- College’s New Free Speech Policy Under Fire (foxnews.com)
- Texas Aggie Conservatives Sue University for Free Speech Infringements (redalertpolitics.com)
Posted on September 25, 2012, in Church & State and tagged Free Speech, Palm Beach State College, Young Americans For Freedom. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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