US Weighs in Against University of Michigan Bullying Policy

[inanna]

Source: New York Times

June 11, 2018

WASHINGTON — University of Michigan policies prohibiting harassment and bullying on campus are unconstitutional and cannot be enforced, the Justice Department said Monday in siding with a free speech group that has challenged the school in court.

The Trump administration argued that the school policies trample on students' First Amendment rights because they fail to define the scope of banned words or actions. The government also challenged the legality of a specialized team of administrators and law enforcement officials that it says is responsible for responding to allegations of bias and harassment on campus.

"Instead of protecting free speech, the University imposes a system of arbitrary censorship of, and punishment for, constitutionally protected speech," Justice Department lawyers wrote.

<snip>

The Michigan case marks the fourth time the Justice Department in the Trump administration has interjected itself into a First Amendment court dispute. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has repeatedly chastised universities for what he says are efforts to restrict free speech and shield students from what may be unpopular or minority opinions on college campuses.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/06/11/us/politics/ap-us-justice-department-free-speech.html

[Blue_Adept]

1. Time to start harassing and bullying congress and the DOJ

[DFW]

2. The trouble is

What Sessions and his pals really want is for it to be considered "free speech" when liberal or progressives are shouted down, their meetings disrupted, their posters torched and their members bullied when caught alone.

[DBoon]

3. Free speech to them means being able to send anonymous death threats to leftists

without consequence or attribution

There is nothing else behind their political philosophy than a dark mob threatening to lynch their opponents

[Jedi Guy]

4. Well...

Conservative speakers have been interrupted and shouted down when they speak at public universities. There's plenty of YouTube videos of such things out there. If the protesters are allowed to do that on the grounds of free speech, how is it not free speech when conservative groups so the same thing to liberal speakers? We can't very well use that tactic and then complain when it's used against us.

I don't agree with the practice of stifling speech we don't agree with or don't like. The better tactic would be to ignore them entirely or attend the speech and then take apart their positions during the Q&A sessions at the end. Stopping them from talking isn't winning any hearts our minds.

Disrupting their events does nothing to counter their views and allows them to claim to be the victims. It's childish and counterproductive.