Young Americans for Liberty, a student group at the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH), sued the school over a campus speech policy Tuesday.
The school’s “Use of Outdoor Areas of Campus” policy requires students to seek approval for campus speakers three days in advance and leaves the permits subject to university approval. The conservative student group argued that this policy violated Alabama’s Campus Free Speech Act by affording the university the ability to cherrypick which viewpoints are permitted on campus.
Attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom are currently representing the UAH campus chapter of Young Americans for Liberty in the suit filed in Madison County.
“Alabama law is clear: students don’t need a permit from college officials to speak on campus, but that’s exactly what the University of Alabama in Huntsville is doing—violating the law and shutting down speech on campus,” ADF Legal Counsel Michael Ross said. “Public universities are the very places that should be encouraging free speech, not stifling it with burdensome and illegal rules.”
A representative of UAH did not comment on the specifics of pending legislation but stated, “The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees, the University of Alabama System, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) are steadfastly committed to the freedom of speech and expression for all campus community members. Our policies were implemented to preserve this important constitutional right.”
