Posted on 03/03/2021 6:45:08 AM PST by karpov
Over the last 30 years, federal courts have consistently ruled that restrictive speech codes and minuscule free speech zones on college campuses violate the First Amendment. So, why do college administrators continue to create and enforce such policies?
The answer is that they face no penalty for doing so.
A case that arose back in 2016 at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) presents the Supreme Court with the opportunity to rectify that.
Two students at the college, Chike Uzuegbunam and Joseph Bradford, were fervent Christians who wanted to communicate their beliefs to others on campus. When they spoke about Christianity and handed out literature, however, they were confronted by campus officials who informed them that their activities could only be carried out in the school’s free speech zone, which amounted to a tiny fraction of the campus.
The two students complied with the rules, which included making reservations for the free speech zone days ahead of time. On the day in question, they were speaking in normal, non-aggressive tones to passers-by when school officials again told them to stop because they were in violation of the school’s speech code, which forbade “disorderly conduct.”
Under the code, if anyone complained that a communication disturbed his “peace and comfort,” the speaker was guilty of disorderly conduct.
In short, GGC permitted the “heckler’s veto” without even the need for heckling. Just a phone call was all it took to silence the students.
Since someone had complained, Chike and Joseph were ordered to stop their efforts. If they hadn’t, they’d have faced punishment from the college.
Those events came to the attention of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an organization that battles against attacks on the First Amendment. Seeing a blatant First Amendment violation, ADF filed suit on behalf of the students.
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
This would seem like an open-and-shut case to me in favor of these Christian students (God bless them). But I have no idea in the insane culture climate we’re living in and I don’t trust the SCOTUS to do anything right anymore.
antiAmerican Roberts and his wife will decide this too,
only after consulting her satellite and Vatican contacts,
and he receiving final Orders from his Maltese overlords.
What did the lower and appeals courts decide on this? The practice of the Roberts court is to let stand in cases they approve and throw back for a re-write in cases they disapprove.
This one has the look of instructing the lower court to disallow speech suppression, at least on this campus.
To hell with the current SC, they have all too obviously pointed out their worth. “IF STUPID COULD FLY, THEY’D BE A JET”
This is vastly important because the Supreme Court has ruled the 2020 Election Fraud cases brought before it most recently are all "MOOT" and therefore dismissed.
I find it hard to believe they will fall for this but I do love a good red herring. Couching a mootness judgment within a college free speech case is clever. I just don't think the Supremes will bite as it would disallow "mootness" as a condition for a court to dismiss a case.
I would think SCOTUS would pass for the reason you cite. If they do take it, it will be in order to use it as a big "F you" to Trump to show that mootness is what they say it is.
SCOTUS won’t do the right thing.
and I remember the joy we all had as Trumped named his third Supreme Court Justice. And now how we all (all of America) was screwed by these really stupid politically inept carpet baggers. It just makes me sick
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