University of Cincinnati Chapter of Young Americans for Liberty v. Williams
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
2012 WL 2160969 (2012)
Facts
The University of Cincinnati Chapter of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) (plaintiff) sought to gather signatures on the University of Cincinnati campus for a petition to place a state constitutional amendment on the ballot for the general election in Ohio. The university notified YAL that they could only gather signatures within a certain small area of campus designated as the Free Speech Area, a small grassy open space comprised of only .01 percent of the entire campus. The university’s policy restricted all demonstrations, picketing, and rallies to the Free Speech Area and required anywhere from five to 15 days’ notice. The university’s position was that the entire campus was a limited public forum, including the Free Speech Area, and that it had an interest in regulating all expressive activity on campus. The YAL filed a lawsuit, seeking an injunction against the university and arguing that the university’s policies were an unconstitutional prior restraint on free speech.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Black, J.)
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