California College Suspends Speech Restrictions Amidst Settlement Talks

[Valin]

FIRE:

 

12/18/13

 

FRESNO, Calif., Dec. 18, 2013Modesto Junior College (MJC) has agreed to suspend enforcement of its free speech zone as it negotiates an end to a federal lawsuit filed by a student prevented from handing out copies of the Constitution on campus on Constitution Day.

 

A joint stipulation filed in federal district court yesterday by MJC and attorneys for student Robert Van Tuinen states that the parties have agreed on several significant revisions to the colleges free speech policies and procedures, pending final approval by the Yosemite Community College District, expected this spring.

 

FIRE welcomes this development as a sign that Modesto Junior College is making important progress towards bringing its policies in line with the First Amendment, said FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. Today, Robert Van Tuinen and over 17,000 fellow students and faculty members may exercise their First Amendment rights without being confined to a free speech zone or required to register in advance.

 

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