Page 19 - Speech First News Today

"Few students actually understand the First Amendment," says Nicole Neily, founder of two groups fighting for free speech in education.

The First Amendment supersedes the authority and whims of the Department of Education.

A tactic that often goes overlooked by the public is when colleges and universities use harassment policies to target speech.

Judges question whether interim policies show universities' commitment to protecting due process and speech. University of Houston pays $30,000 to settle First Amendment challenge, promises old policies won't come back.

The University of Houston (UH) had an expansive harassment policy that prohibited a wide array of constitutionally protected speech, including microaggressions, stereotyping, or even jokes.

In a legal settlement, the University has agreed to adopt a new anti-discrimination policy and distribute $30,000 to Speech First.

“Universities across the country should be put on notice that overbroad policies designed to chill student speech will not be tolerated," Speech First said.

The conservative group Speech First argued that the anti-discrimination policy restricting “offensive speech about personal characteristics such race, ethnicity or gender” violates students’ First Amendment rights.

The conservative group Speech First argued that the anti-discrimination policy restricting “offensive speech about personal characteristics such race, ethnicity or gender” violates students’ First Amendment rights. The university agreed to keep its amended policy as part of a settlement.

The conservative group argued that the anti-discrimination policy violates students’...