Dear Mr. Levy: FIRE today filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the Court to hear an appeal of Hosty v. Carter, a Seventh Circuit decision that poses a grave threat to student press freedom. Joined by organizations across the political spectrum, FIRE argues that the Seventh Circuit erred in determining, among other things, that high school free speech standards should apply college newspapers. FIRE is very optimistic that the Supreme Court will intervene and undo this opinion, which threatens the independence of virtually any student group that wishes to communicate a message on campus. For more details, please read below.
David French, President Philadelphia, PA 19106 Phone: 215-717-3473; Fax: 215-717-3440
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FIRE Files Brief Urging Supreme Court to Hear Student Newspaper Censorship Case WASHINGTON, October 19, 2005Today, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of Hosty v. Carter, a Seventh Circuit decision that poses a grave threat to student press freedom. The Seventh Circuits decision in Hosty v. Carter has the potential to destroy freedom of the press on campus, declared FIRE President FIREs brief was joined by a remarkable coalition of nonprofit groups including Accuracy in Academia, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, the Coalition for Student & Academic Rights, Feminists for Free Expression, the First Amendment Project, Ifeminists.net, the Individual Rights Foundation, the Leadership Institute, the National Association of Scholars, and Students for Academic Freedom. In Hosty v. Carter, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hold liable a college administrator at
The controversy began in 2000, when administrator Patricia Carter demanded the right to review the content of a student feesupported newspaper, The Innovator, before it was published. Student editor Margaret Hosty and others sued, and both the federal district court and a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit found in their favor. But on June 20, 2005, the Seventh Circuit en banc reversed its earlier ruling, determining that Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, a Supreme Court decision allowing prior review of certain high school newspapers, should apply to student feefunded college media as well. FIRE has released a statement explaining the case and why it was wrongly decided. The right for newspapers to be free from prior review of their content by agents of the state is the foundation of freedom of the press, remarked FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nations colleges and universities. FIREs efforts to preserve liberty on campuses across CONTACT: David French, President, FIRE: 215-717-3473; david@thefire.org Greg Lukianoff, Director of Legal and Public Advocacy, FIRE: 215-717-3473; greg@thefire.org
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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
FIRE News: FIRE Files Brief Urging Supreme Court to Hear Student Newspaper Censorship Case
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