In new guidance, students and universities could be banned from censoring controversial speakers on campuses following the first ministerial intervention on free speech in 30 years.
Demonstrators gather in anticipation of controversial speaker Ann Coulter near the University of California, Berkeley campus, April 27, 2017.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
New laws pending in Wisconsin and North Carolina would require public universities to punish students who disrupt campus speakers. But these laws would do more to hinder free speech than protect it.
Students protested at UC Berkeley on both sides: in opposition to Ann Coulter and in support of free speech.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
What legal rules must colleges and universities follow when it comes to speech on campus? And, beyond legal requirements, what is a school’s obligation to protect – or limit – free speech?