Judge Dismisses UF College Republicans Lawsuit Over Ban, Citing First Amendment and Naming Failures
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 13
Judge Dismisses UF College Republicans Lawsuit Over Ban, Citing First Amendment and Naming Failures
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 13
Summary
Judge Mark F. Walker dismissed the University of Florida College Republicans’ lawsuit, ruling the group failed to prove the school violated its First Amendment rights when it banned the organization in March.
A 2-day bench trial found insufficient evidence that UF acted unlawfully, even though campus leaders were clearly concerned about allegations of antisemitic and racist behavior tied to the group.
UF also had independent grounds to remove the organization, Walker said, because it lacked permission from the Republican Party of Florida or its student affiliate to use “Republican” in its name.
The ban followed a social media uproar over a photo showing 2 people giving a Nazi salute, though group members denied involvement; the university said a statewide campus Republican body had already withdrawn the group’s charter.