The University of Alabama has closed the Black- and women-focused student magazines Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice Magazine, as first reported by the Crimson White. To justify the suspensions, officials in part cited a memo issued by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Mike Hiestand, the Student Press Law Center’s senior legal counsel, said the suspensions appear to be unlawful viewpoint discrimination. He made the following statement:
“At a public university, student media are forums for independent student expression and are protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has made clear that viewpoint discrimination is off-limits, and it’s difficult to imagine a more straightforward example than a university openly acknowledging it. By shutting down only the magazines that primarily serve women and Black students — while leaving other publications alone — it looks a lot like they are targeting a particular point of view.
“The DOJ memo the university cites was aimed at race-exclusive programs that deny access to benefits. These magazines do not exclude anyone; they amplify the voices of communities that have historically been marginalized. That is protected expression, not unlawful discrimination.
“I have not heard of any other universities using the DOJ memo to specifically target student publications as the University of Alabama is doing. If they have, I encourage those students to contact us through SPLC’s Legal Hotline.
“It has been an exceptionally tough year for universities and for student media — at Indiana University, Central Oklahoma University and so many others — and moments like this are precisely when educational institutions should be standing up for free speech and a free press. Unfortunately, too many administrators are using the moment to silence student speech they don’t like.”
The University of Alabama must restore Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice Magazine.
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