Administrators never seem to learn – the 1st Amendment still holds in this country:
More than four years after they first filed a lawsuit alleging free speech violations, two professors have reached a settlement with Chicago State University (CSU).
CSU, a public university, agreed to pay Philip Beverly and Robert Bionaz $650,000 and revise the unconstitutional policies that prompted the lawsuit.
On July 1, 2018, Bevery and Bionaz filed suit after CSU ordered them to shut down a faculty-run website that had criticized the administration. Administrators had alleged that this criticism violated the university’s policy against cyberbullying, and one public relations director even filed a harassment complaint against Bionaz. These were obvious violations of the faculty’s rights; the hurt feelings of university PR officials do not trump the First Amendment.
This is really heartening:
“The victory is the 13th settlement in FIRE’s Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project,” noted FIRE in a press release. “After each victory, FIRE will target another school—sending a message that unless public colleges obey the law, they will be sued. More than 90 percent of top public colleges maintain policies that restrict First Amendment rights.”
