ADF to 5th Circuit: Stop dangerous trend of chilling speech on campus

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Travis Barham regarding a friend-of-the-court brief filed Tuesday in Speech First v. McCall with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit challenging an illegal speech policy at Texas State University that penalizes constitutionally protected speech on and off campus:

“College students have the freedom to share their beliefs anywhere on campus; they don’t need permission from college officials to speak, nor should they have to jump through burdensome and illegal hoops just to talk with their classmates outside. Texas State University has joined the far too numerous ranks of higher education institutions that use speech codes to chill and suppress constitutionally protected ideas. Fortunately, multiple courts, from Idaho to Florida, have ruled against this dangerous and authoritarian trend, and the U.S. Supreme Court has empowered students to hold school officials accountable for restricting their speech. Universities thrive when the marketplace of ideas is open to all. The answer is more speech, not less. We urge the court to reverse the lower court ruling that prohibits free speech on campus.”

• Pronunciation guide: Barham (BEAR’-um)

The ADF Center for Academic Freedom is dedicated to protecting First Amendment and related freedoms for students and faculty so that everyone can freely participate in the marketplace of ideas without fear of government censorship.

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