Speaking freely on campus

Last month I wrote about a low-profile case in North Carolina (compared to the high-profile “bathroom bill”) involving a Christian student group at North Carolina State University. Grace Christian Life sued the school over what it believes to be selective enforcement of a rule regulating their speech and expression on campus.

With a required permit, the group set up a table in the student union and spoke to others about their organization. A representative from the Student Involvement Office told group members to stop circulating among the students and remain behind their assigned table. Grace Christian Life president Hannalee Alrutz told The Daily Signal that she’d seen members of other groups circulating throughout the student union speaking to students, and no one told them to stop.

“The policy kills our speech,” she said. “It puts a lot of fear in us so that when we desire to talk to somebody on campus, like a fellow student, there is always, in the back of our mind, a worry that we may be stopped or punished because the policy allows for that.”

The university called the group’s lawsuit “frivolous” and “without merit.” A federal court disagreed, issuing issued a preliminary injunction on Saturday to stop the school from enforcing the permit requirement. Grace Christian Life had established that it likely would succeed in winning the case on its First Amendment claim, the court ruled, and suffer irreparable harm without the injunction. The court also held that the “balance of equities tips” in Grace Christian Life’s favor, and the injunction is in the “public interest.” For the time being, N.C. State can’t restrict “Non-Commercial Solicitation” based on content or viewpoint or anybody’s possible reaction to it.

“Because the only permit required for free speech on a public university campus is the First Amendment, we welcome the court’s decision to put a stop to N.C. State’s policy,” said the group’s attorney, Tyson Langhofer of Alliance Defending Freedom. “N.C. State is acting inconsistently with its own calling as a marketplace of ideas with this unconstitutional restriction on free speech. Students of any political, religious, or ideological persuasion should be able to freely and peacefully speak with their fellow students about their views without interference from government officials who may prefer one view over another.”

Is this a matter of bias against Christians or simply slack enforcement? In any case, a court has taken Grace Christian Life’s claims seriously.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience,” James, the brother of Jesus, wrote. Though American-style persecution is trivial compared to brothers and sisters around the world who face death for the faith, Christians in this country should continue to expose what they believe is unfair and inconsistent government treatment. Standing our ground now could prevent further erosion.