Justin Booker, a law student at Campbell University, is pursuing legal action due to Charlie Kirk-themed flyers he had posted throughout the campus being taken down.
Booker maintains this is unjust due to the college allowing several other forms of political expression. One flyer he posted states “End Political Violence” with a photograph of Kirk on it.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is assisting Booker in discussions with the university over the legality of their stance toward his flyers being taken down by administrators, Campus Reform reports. His First Amendment rights are thus being discriminated against, he claims.
According to The News & Observer, Booker said “taking his flyers down while leaving others up in the same areas amounts to viewpoint discrimination in violation of his rights to free expression.”
“Originally, the assistant dean of student life, Regina Chavis, told Booker the school didn’t allow the posting of personal messages,” he told The N&O. “But Booker couldn’t find this provision in the school’s student handbook.”
“I filed a formal complaint with the administration about this, because not only is this a free speech issue, it actually risks the law school’s accreditation,” Booker stated.
Booker also noted that this action also violates the policies of the American Bar Association (ABA).
“I filed a formal complaint with the administration about this, because not only is this a free speech issue, it actually risks the law school’s accreditation,” the student said. “It says that explicitly in ABA standards that they have to follow the First Amendment jurisprudence. So the fact that they’re not doing that, and they have explicitly refused to do that, actually is crazy.”
Campbell University told The N&O of its reception of FIRE’s letter and its intentions going forward.
“Campbell University has received a letter from FIRE, inquiring about the response to flyers posted by a student within the Campbell Law building. The letter asked for an institutional response by next week. Campbell University is currently reviewing the letter, the internal complaint and the Campbell Law student organizational communication and promotion policy. We plan to respond to FIRE after examining all relevant information,” the university stated.
The letter sent by FIRE claims Campbell University’s freedom of expression policies allow the posting of such flyers for which Booker was censured. The organization concludes that an upcoming reversal of actions is necessary.
“Booker’s flyer was unquestionably protected by Campbell’s strong and laudable free expression promises, which bar the university from enforcing its policies against expression based on the speaker’s viewpoint,” the letter states. “We urge Campbell to uphold these commitments, remove the restriction on Booker’s flyers, and repeal its publication removal policy.”
