Hawaii college sued for stopping students from handing out Constitution

[Phurfur 70]

Two students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo are suing the school over alleged First Amendment violations after they were told by a campus official that they couldn't approach fellow students to hand out copies of the Constitution.

 

Merritt Burch and Anthony Vizzone, members of the campus chapter of Young Americans for Liberty, filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court, alleging that administrators violated their constitutional rights by stopping group members from passing out copies of the document during an outdoor event in January where student organizations had set up tables to distribute literature.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/25/hawaii-college-sued-for-stopping-students-from-handing-out-constitution/

[Mike Honcho 4,169]

 

According to the complaint, an administrator told Burch and Vizzone that if they wanted to protest the school's policy, they could do so in the college's “free speech zone,” described by FIRE as a one-third acre area on the edge of campus.

The "free speech zone" at UH Hilo represents less than one percent of the college's total area and is muddy and prone to flooding, according to a FIRE news release.

 

The lawsuit also challenges a separate policy that reportedly requires students to request permission seven working days prior to engaging in "expressive activity" in two designated areas located in the central part of campus.

 

 

Free speech has never meant you can say what you want, where you want 100% of the time. The school should counter-sue these two idiots for falsifying there college admissions, cause obviously they are border-line retarded monkeys.

[IGotWorms 3,450]

Sounds like a couple of whiny little brats to me, just looking for something to sue over.

 

Do hate the concept of "free speech zones" though. The entire focking country is in effect a free speech zone. It should be incumbent on those who want to restrict speech in a given public area to show why it is necessary, not vice versa

[RLLD 3,562]

I might disagree, vehemently, with anyting these turds have to say....but, I am far more strongly opposed to ANYONE trying to stop them from exercising free speech. Completely unacceptable.

[MTSkiBum 1,605]

I might disagree, vehemently, with anyting these turds have to say....but, I am far more strongly opposed to ANYONE trying to stop them from exercising free speech. Completely unacceptable.

 

No way, you have to limit the handing out of material on campuses. You would have people on every corner handing out pamphlets.

[parrot 789]

No way, you have to limit the handing out of material on campuses. You would have people on every corner handing out pamphlets.

 

This is exactly it. Your right to free speech doesn't mean you have a right to be in my face.

 

From what I have been able to find; they were handing out Constitutions from a table, which they were free to do. Other groups were handing out other materials as well. It was only when they left the table and began approaching people that they were asked to stop and return to their table. In their partial defense they say there were other people leaving their tables and approaching people and they were only following suit. I couldn't find any mention of whether the other groups were asked to cease and desist.

[IGotWorms 3,450]

No way, you have to limit the handing out of material on campuses. You would have people on every corner handing out pamphlets.

I went to a big-ass state school for undergrad. So far as I know they didn't limit sh!t. You had the anti-abortion set and the traveling preacher nuts out there on campus daily during the nicer months. It was really not a big deal

[patweisers44 710]

I might disagree, vehemently, with anyting these turds have to say....but, I am far more strongly opposed to ANYONE trying to stop them from exercising free speech. Completely unacceptable.

This is one of those slippery slope type topics. You obviously cant yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, but banning the handing out of literature...seems a bit overboard.

[phillybear 365]

This is one of those slippery slope type topics. You obviously cant yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, but banning the handing out of literature...seems a bit overboard.

 

Which is total horsesh!t. Either free speech is total and absolute, or it isn't. And if you limit it, then stop calling it "free" speech, because by definition it is not.

 

I support legislation to allow the yelling of "Fire!" anywhere the fock you want.

[Vikings4ever 496]

Do hate the concept of "free speech zones" though. The entire focking country is in effect a free speech zone. It should be incumbent on those who want to restrict speech in a given public area to show why it is necessary, not vice versa

I understand them when security is an issue (conventions, political speeches, demonstrations that are going to piss other people off, etc). But I agree that there should be a compelling need to restrict speech.

[patweisers44 710]

 

Which is total horsesh!t. Either free speech is total and absolute, or it isn't. And if you limit it, then stop calling it "free" speech, because by definition it is not.

 

I support legislation to allow the yelling of "Fire!" anywhere the fock you want.

i will be the guy yelling it when you are getting held up at gunpoint

[phillybear 365]

i will be the guy yelling it when you are getting held up at gunpoint

 

I'll haunt you forever. Or at least until I get bored. :mad: