FIRE has been on a roll lately. This is their fourth recent free speech victory.

They reported on their blog Monday.

Students, FIRE Go Four-for-Four as Ohio U. Settles Speech Code Lawsuit

ATHENS, Ohio, February 2, 2015—In a settlement signed today, Ohio University (OU) agreed to revise several policies that restricted free speech on campus rather than fight a student-led First Amendment lawsuit in court. This marks the fourth victory in a row for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s (FIRE’s) Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project.

Student Isaac Smith sued OU in July 2014 after OU administrators ordered Smith and other members of the Students Defending Students (SDS) campus organization to stop wearing T-shirts with the three-decade-old slogan, “We get you off for free.” SDS provides free assistance to students accused of disciplinary infractions—an activity that rarely endears the group to the college administration. The slogan was first used by SDS in the 1970s.

Smith and his fellow SDS members obeyed the administrators’ orders to stop wearing the shirts because they feared punishment under the vague language of OU’s Student Code of Conduct. The Student Code of Conduct prohibited any “act that degrades, demeans, or disgraces” another student as well as “taking any reckless, but not accidental, action from which mental or bodily harm could result to another person.” As part of today’s settlement, OU has changed these policies to comply with the First Amendment. It will also pay $32,000 for Smith’s damages and attorneys’ fees.


 
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