Alabama university to eliminate ‘speech zones’ after conservative student group sues
Jeremiah Poff
A public university in Alabama has settled a lawsuit with a conservative student group and agreed to eliminate its so-called speech zones that restricted where students could openly discuss certain topics.
The conservative-libertarian student group Young Americans for Liberty, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, had filed the lawsuit against the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s speech and activity policies two years ago, alleging that the policies restricted the club’s ability to operate on campus.
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On Tuesday, ADF announced that its lawsuit against the university had been settled and that the Circuit Court of Madison County in Alabama would dismiss the lawsuit once the university amended its policies to ensure that the entire school qualified as a free speech zone, in accordance with Alabama law.
The group had argued that the university’s policies violated both the Alabama Campus Free Speech Act and the state constitution. In November, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in favor of the student group and declared that the university had violated the Campus Free Speech Act.
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“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,” ADF senior sounsel and Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom Tyson Langhofer said. “Alabama state law guarantees that all students at public universities can freely speak outdoors on campus grounds. We commend the University of Alabama in Huntsville for doing the right thing by amending its policy to respect students’ free speech rights.”
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Because the case involved a challenge to the application of the Alabama Campus Free Speech Act, state Attorney General Steve Marshall was involved in defending the law in court. In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Marshall celebrated the settlement and vowed to continue to oppose restrictions on campus speech.
“The Alabama Campus Free Speech Act is alive and well, as evidenced by today’s settlement,” Marshall said. “Speech zones have no place on the campus of any public university in Alabama and I am proud that we had the opportunity to defend this important Act. My office will remain vigilant in ensuring that the protections offered by the Campus Free Speech Act are available to all students and employees of our universities.”