(PresidentialWire.com)- A new bombshell ruling from the Supreme Court will seriously set back free speech stifling liberals on college campuses.
In an 8-1 majority opinion delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas, it was ruled that a Georgia college’s policy regarding speech violated students First Amendment rights. Not only that, the opinion stated that the harmed student can seek damages from the school for the unconstitutional policy. Justice Brett Kavanaugh issued a concurring opinion.
Interestingly enough, the lone dissenting vote came from often unreliable conservative Chief Justice John Roberts. In his dissenting opinion, Roberts argued that the court could not rule on every issue, and that doing so would distort the court’s role into “advice columnists.”
Well, if defending the First Amendment makes me an “advice columnist,” just call me Dear Abby.
The case, Uzuegbunam et al. v. Preczewski et al. was triggered when a student at Georgia Gwinnett College, Chike Uzuegbunam, was prevented from handing out religious literature on school grounds, an apparent violation of the college’s speech policy. That policy limited speech activities to designated free speech zones, and then only with prior approval from the administration.
So, Uzuegbunam requested and received permission from the school, took his materials to the designated zone, and was still stopped by campus police for distributing his literature. Afterward, he and another student, Joseph Bradford, opened a case against the school for violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
While this may seem like a slam dunk case, both a district court in Georgia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit denied damages to the pair after the school changed its unconstitutional policies.
Undaunted, the students brought the case to the Supreme Court, which has now finally restored their full rights under the Constitution.
Writing for the majority, Justice Thomas said, “Applying this principle here is straightforward. For purposes of this appeal, it is undisputed that Uzuegbunam experienced a complete violation of his constitutional rights when respondents enforced their speech policies against him.”
Tyson Langhofer, director of ADF’s Center for Academic Freedom got right to the point: “The only permit students need to speak on campus is the First Amendment.”
Maybe Justice Roberts just needs a refresher course in the Bill of Rights.
