In May 2018, Speech First, a national membership group of students, alumni, and others that defends free speech on campus, filed its first lawsuit, against the University of Michigan, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Speech First v. Schlissel et al.). The goal: to help restore free speech and expression to America’s universities.
The lawsuit challenges Michigan’s vague and far-reaching bans on “harassment,” “bullying,” and “bias-motivated misconduct,” and its “Bias Response Team,” which handles reports of “bias incidents.” Speech First argues these rules let the university police speech based on how other students feel about it, which violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The same court struck down an earlier Michigan speech code in 1989.
Speech First asked the court to block the policies while the case moves forward.
Read the motion and supporting documents below:
PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
DECLARATION OF NICOLE NEILY
DECLARATION OF JEFFREY M. HARRIS
