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Citrus College: Speech Code Litigation

At California's Citrus College, under the pressure of litigation and FIRE's national campaign for campus constitutional rights, the Board of Trustees voted to rescind most of the speech codes at the public institution. This was the first victory in FIRE's declared war on speech codes at public colleges and universities.

Case Materials

• "Victory: Speech Code Falls at Citrus College," June 11, 2003: At California’s Citrus College, under the pressure of litigation and FIRE’s national campaign for campus constitutional rights, the Board of Trustees has voted to rescind most of the speech code at that public institution. This is the first victory in FIRE’s declared war on speech codes at public colleges and universities.
• "Resolution of the Citrus College Board of Trustees, June 5, 2003," June 5, 2003
• "Lawsuit Challenges California Speech Code," May 20, 2003: At Citrus College, in California, unconstitutional restrictions on speech are being challenged both in the court of law and in the court of public opinion.
• "Citrus College Free Speech Area Guidelines," May 20, 2003
• "Map of Free Speech Areas at Citrus College," May 20, 2003
• "Complaint Against Citrus College, May 19, 2003," May 19, 2003

Media Coverage

• "Wronging student rights,"
  by Greg Lukianoff, The Boston Globe, September 3, 2005
• "Liberating America’s Intellectual Gulags,"
  by Charles Mitchell, Campus Magazine, April 15, 2005
• "Free speech by the decibel?,"
  The Pasadena Star-News, March 2, 2004
• "Survey: many college students fuzzy on first amendment rights,"
  by Associated Press, Black Issues in Higher Education, January 1, 2004
• "Tentative resolution reached in free speech lawsuit,"
  by Jonathan Montalvo, The Clarion Online, October 1, 2003
• "Tentative resolution reached in free speech lawsuit,"
  by Jonathan Montalvo, The Clarion, August 27, 2003
• "Citrus College officials settle free-speech lawsuit,"
  by Terry Webster, The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, August 12, 2003
• "Speech Codes: Alive and Well at Colleges...,"
  by Harvey Silverglate and Greg Lukianoff, The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 1, 2003
• "College policy must be fair,"
  Pasadena Star-News, June 16, 2003
• "Citrus College Dodges Court Date Dropping Speech Code,"
  by Elizabeth Crawford, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 12, 2003
• "Citrus College trustees rescind free speech zones,"
  by Terry Webster, The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, June 5, 2003
• "Sunday Pops: More trouble at Citrus,"
  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 25, 2003
• "Students are giving colleges a lesson in free speech,"
  by Mary Beth Marklein, USA Today, May 19, 2003
• "Demonstration Cut Short by Administrator,"
  The Clarion Online, November 20, 2002