State University of New York at Brockport: Speech Code Litigation

As part of its ongoing Speech Code Litigation project, FIRE supported a lawsuit against State University of New York at Brockport. The suit, which was settled in May of 2005, required the school to repeal its unconstitutional policies and publicize the changes in policy through official channels such as the newspaper and college handbooks. Representing the fourth victory for FIRE's Speech Code Litigation, the settlement was part of an ongoing process to combat speech codes throughout the country.

Case Materials

• "Another FIRE Victory Over Speech Codes: SUNY Brockport Settles Suit in Favor of Free Speech," May 10, 2005: FIRE has won yet another remarkable victory over campus censorship and repression. Last week, SUNY Brockport settled a lawsuit brought by FIRE Legal Network attorneys and agreed to repeal its unconstitutional speech code. The settlement marks the fourth victory for FIRE’s Speech Codes Litigation Project and requires SUNY Brockport to modify several college policies to make them consistent with the First Amendment.  SUNY Brockport must also notify students of the changes on the Internet, in college offices, in college publications, and in the student newspaper.
• "FIRE Targets Another Unconstitutional Speech Code," June 9, 2004: On June 3, attorneys from FIRE's Legal Network filed the fourth lawsuit in FIRE's ongoing campaign to rid public campuses across the nation of repressive and unconstitutional speech codes. Students Patricia Simpson and Robert Wojick are suing the State University of New York College at Brockport in federal court to overturn policies that violate their rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• "Legal Complaint Against State University of New York at Brockport, June 3, 2004," June 3, 2004

Media Coverage

• "Wronging student rights,"
  by Greg Lukianoff, The Boston Globe, September 3, 2005
• "N.Y. College Settles Lawsuit with Students Who Challenged Campus Speech Codes,"
  by Rebecca McNulty, Student Press Law Center, June 22, 2005
• "10 great cigars and why I smoked them,"
  by Mike Adams, Townhall.com, June 13, 2005
• "FIRE Chalks Up Another Victory for Students' Free-Speech Rights,"
  by Jim Brown, Agape Press, May 16, 2005
• "In a New York Minute,"
  The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), May 12, 2005
• "College settles case, will revise its speech code,"
  by Matthew Daneman, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, May 11, 2005
• "Liberating America’s Intellectual Gulags,"
  by Charles Mitchell, Campus Magazine, April 15, 2005
• "Breaking the Silence,"
  by Minnie Quach, Guerrilla News Network, September 29, 2004
• "SUNY's Thought-Police,"
  New York Post, July 11, 2004
• "How SUNY Brockport smothers free speech,"
  by Dan Hall, The Brockport Post, July 9, 2004
• "Academic Freedom Advocates Sue Over SUNY Speech Code,"
  by Jim Brown, Agape Press, June 14, 2004
• "College GOP sues over speech code,"
  World Net Daily, June 10, 2004
• "Free speech suit accuses college,"
  by Matthew Daneman, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 10, 2004
• "Two students sue state college over speech policy,"
  Newsday.com, June 8, 2004