WASHINGTON – The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has launched a new national project to eliminate what it claims to be unconstitutional speech codes through targeted First Amendment lawsuits.
With the launching of the Stand Up for Speech Litigation Project, FIRE has coordinated the filing of lawsuits against Ohio University, Chicago State University, Iowa State University and Citrus College (Calif.), TheFire.org reports.
The four lawsuits filed challenge speech codes at public institutions on behalf of students, student groups and faculty members.
For example, the organization is helping Isaac Smith, a member of Students Defending Students at Ohio University, sue the college for preventing the group from wearing T-shirts reading “We get you off for free,” a joke the group began using in the 1970s.
This year, administrators claimed the wording “objectified women” and “promoted prostitution.”
FIRE maintains that lawsuits will be filed against public colleges maintaining unconstitutional speech codes in each federal circuit. After each victory by ruling or settlement, the organization plans to target another school in the same circuit to send a message that unless public colleges obey the law, they will be sued.
For a more extensive look at the four lawsuits, click here.