READ: Honolulu Star-Advertiser article (Premium Content)--Hilo students defend right to free speech. Two University of Hawaii at Hilo students are being called the champions of freedom for their efforts to protect First Amendment rights on campus. Merritt Burch, 19, and Anthony Vizzone, 20, sued university administrators in a federal court case earlier this year. The lawsuit came after university officials attempted to stop Burch from handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution to other students on the campus mall. The students argued that their First Amendment rights of free speech were being violated; and a judge agreed. The court case set a legal precedent for several universities across the nation contending with similar matters. And as part of the settlement, the university now allows free speech and the distribution of literature anywhere thats open to students and the community without requiring students to seek permission first. Previously, any protest had to be approved beforehand by the university. Read more here: staradvertiser/…/20141226__HILO_STUDENTS_DEF… Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Press Release here: thefire.org/u-hawaii-settles-lawsuit-handing-co…/ #Liberty #FirstAmendment #UniversityofHawaii
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 23:31:52 +0000