Court Rules Former K-State Students Have No F.A. Claim
An appeals court has ruled that two women who once served as student newspaper editors at Kansas State University may not sue the school on a First Amendment claim because they no longer are students.
The court's Thursday ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by Katie Lane and Sarah Rice, two former editors who claimed their First Amendment rights were violated when administrators removed Ron Johnson as adviser of the the Collegian in 2004. Johnson was removed after university officials conducted a content analysis of the Collegian and determined that the student newspaper did not meet their expectations.
The College Media Advisers responded to the school's actions by censuring the school, and the SPJ board formally condemned the move as a "clear violation of the principles of free speech and a free press."
In an environment where college administrators frequently are finding ways to control student media, the court's ruling has created even more concern among free-press advocates.
"The court created a standard for mootness that makes it impossible for virtually any student to make a First Amendment claim because they will graduate before their case is concluded," said Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center. "It's just plain wrong."
For more on the decision, check out this story from the SPLC.