Montclair State University: Speech Restrained to Free Speech Zone

On November 6, 2023, Montclair State University President Jonathan Koppell released a communication confining rallies, vigils, and “all such [i.e., similar] events” to a small area of campus known as the Amphitheater. FIRE wrote Montclair on September 26, 2024 explaining how this policy impermissibly limits students’ and faculty members’ First Amendment rights by failing to provide sufficient rationale for this onerous restriction. On October 29, Montclair released a new Expressive Activity Policy effectively codifying this “free speech zone” and mandating pre-approval for virtually all expressive activities, regardless of size, volume, and spontaneity. FIRE wrote Montclair for a second time on November 7 calling for the university to revise its problematic policies.