FIRE asks House Judiciary Committee to strengthen protections for campus free speech

FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff told the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice yesterday about the most alarming First Amendment violations we see in our work defending campus liberties and provided guidance on how Congress can help rectify them.

In case you missed it, you can watch Greg’s testimony during the hearing, “First Amendment Protections on Public College and University Campuses,” here:

View video

His full written statement is also published — complete with visual aids — over at The Huffington Post.

Greg’s testimony focused on the threats posed by pervasive speech codes like “free speech zone” policies, federal government overreach in Title IX enforcement, and more. He urged the committee to demand accountability from public colleges and universities in their respective states and to pass legislation like the Campus Free Expression (CAFE) Act, the New Voices Act, and the Campus Anti-Harassment Act — all of which would further codify campus speech protections.

FIRE’s president and CEO was one of four notable witnesses invited to weigh in before the subcommittee. Also testifying at the hearing were Vanderbilt law professor and Newseum Institute First Amendment Center Ombudsman David Hudson, First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel & Director of Strategic Affairs Ken Klukowski, and Ethics and Public Policy Center Senior Fellow Stanley Kurtz.

The full hearing, which runs just under two hours, can be viewed here:

View video

And if you’re interested in helping FIRE promote student rights through legislative action, please let us know at fire@thefire.org.