Knight v. Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
269 F. Supp. 339 (1967)
- Written by Emily Laird, JD
Facts
A nonprofit university (defendant) required its faculty members to sign an oath to uphold the highest standards of teaching and to support the United States and New York constitutions. The university’s actions were consistent with a New York state statute that required all teachers of public or tax-exempt schools to sign this oath. Twenty-seven faculty members (plaintiffs) sued the university in federal district court seeking injunctive relief. The faculty members claimed that the required oath was void for vagueness and violated their First Amendment rights to free speech. The university filed a motion to dismiss, claiming the oath was not unconstitutional because the oath imposed no restrictions on the faculty members’ political speech, but merely required the faculty members to affirm the state and federal systems that allowed their university to thrive.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Tyler, J.)
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