Isn’t political speech part of free speech?

The College Fix reports.

Georgetown Law prohibits students from engaging in political speech ‘over the internet’

It’s never a good sign when lawyers think basic political freedoms are subject to the whims of the IRS.

Georgetown Law Center in DC, which is suffering through an interminable highway construction project about 20 feet from its back door, has decided that its students won’t mind more suffering in the form of stifled speech – in person or on the Internet.

Since September it has prevented students who support Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders from distributing campaign material and primary voting information – tabling either inside or outside, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education said in a Monday letter to Dean William Treanor:

An [Office of Student Life] representative asked the students to cease their activities and remove their materials because engaging in such campaign-related activities was not permitted. After the students asked the representative to confirm that they were not allowed to engage in this activity on campus, Coordinator of Student Organizations Kenrick Roberts came out to the table and confirmed that campaign-related activities were not permitted on campus.

The law school claims that its tax-exempt status is threatened if it lets students engage in campaign-related activities on campus or use university resources for political activity.

If I’m correctly reading this email from Roberts to student Alexander Atkins, a Sanders supporter who first sought to table inside, Georgetown Law prohibits students from even using the school’s computer network and email system for campaign-related activity:

[A]s it relates specifically to candidates for office, campaigning and solicitation, including transmission of campaign materials over the internet, leaflet distribution, and display of posters, is not allowed anywhere on Law Center property or using University servers or equipment.

Roberts cites the school’s Student Organization Policy on Partisan Political Activities” – yep, it totally bans “partisan political campaign activity” anywhere on campus, “Georgetown’s phone system, computer networks or servers, or postal service” (how quaint).


 
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