Viewpoint Discrimination Stopped at UNM:
SLF Announces Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute Win Preliminary Injunction Against University of New Mexico for Viewpoint Discrimination
[SEPTEMBER 27, 2024] Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) today announced a major win in the Leadership Institute v. University of New Mexico (UNM) case against the university for viewpoint discrimination against students on campus with conservative views.
The lawsuit was filed, as Fox News reported in February, after UNM gave Turning Point USA at the University of New Mexico (TP-UNM) and the conservative Leadership Institute (LI) an exorbitant $10,000 fee in order for them to host former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines as a speaker. Gaines was set to speak about her personal experience competing against a transgender athlete in college swimming and why she now advocates for women’s rights in sports.
Riley Gaines, Director of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, said, “Sadly, we see this all the time. Conservative student voices are silenced on campus through excessive fees blamed on security, like in this case, or other red tape that makes it harder for conservative students to use their voice on campus. Colleges and universities should be a place of critical thinking where different ideas are welcomed and encouraged. They should not be a place of political discrimination and suppression of First Amendment rights, like in this case. We are very grateful that the court granted this injunction and saw the irreparable harm that would come if these high fees were applied to our event.”
UNM student and Co-President of Turning Point USA at UNM Jonathan Gonzales, said, “We are so thankful for this injunction. The court clearly sees the double standard of UNM behind giving a $10,000 fee to our event and yet previously allowing a drag show to take place on campus with no security fee at all. We have to keep speaking up and fighting for what is right. That is the only way to protect our most fundamental rights as Americans. I hope this sends a message to college campuses everywhere.”
SLF Executive Director Kimberly Hermann said, “This is a major win in the battle to protect the First Amendment rights of college students, regardless of the viewpoint they express. Governments at every level – including state universities – must equally protect the right to free speech and expression. In this case, UNM enforced a high fee for students wanting to host Riley Gaines just because of who she was and what she was expected to say about the challenges of men competing in women’s sports. While we are still reviewing this opinion, we are very pleased with the preliminary injunction we received from the court in this case and look forward to moving forward to protect the rights of these UNM students.”
In the preliminary injunction, the court found that TP-UNM and LI could be prohibited from holding future events or face other negative consequences and possible disciplinary actions, which made the preliminary injunction needed to prevent irreparable harm to the UNM students in the case.
BACKGROUND ON THIS CASE: https://www.slfliberty.org/case/leadership-institute-et-al-v-university-of-new-mexico/