Tuesday, April 07, 2020

Suit Challenges Student Government's Refusal To Fund Speech By Religious Figure

Suit was filed last week in a Georgia federal district court against officials at Georgia Tech after a Students for Life chapter was denied student activity fee funds to sponsor a talk by Dr. Martin Luther King's niece, Alveda King.  Student government denied funding because Ms. King has been involved in religious ministries and the religious aspects of her life could not be separated from the event which was to focus on civil rights and abortion. The complaint (full text) in Students for Life at Georgia Tech v. Regents of the University System of Georgia, (ND GA, filed 4/1/2020) alleges free speech violations (compelled speech and viewpoint discrimination), as well as due process and equal protection violations.  ADF issued a press release announcing the filing of the lawsuit.