STEP TOWARD VICTORY: University dealt legal blow after charging ‘hefty’ fee against conservative speaker

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From Fox News: A law firm touted victory on Friday when the University of New Mexico (UNM) was issued a preliminary injunction by a federal court judge due to the “hefty” security fee it imposed on an event held by conservative students.

“This is a major win in the battle to protect the First Amendment rights of college students, regardless of the viewpoint they express,” Southern Legal Foundation (SLF) Executive Director Kimberly Hermann announced on Friday in a press release.

SLF filed a complaint against UNM officials in February arguing that they “engaged in viewpoint and content discrimination” when they required conservative groups to pay security fees “based on the officials’ subjective assessment of the crowd’s potential reaction” to a speaking event by Riley Gaines.

UNM attempted to charge students over $5,000 in security fees for hosting women’s sports activist and former NCAA swimmer Gaines. Gaines has been a fierce critic of transgender athletes participating in womens’ sports. Her presence on college campuses has previously drawn ire from critics and protesters at her speaking events.

The report explains that this is still just a temporary victory, but the “injunction means that the university cannot collect fees from Turning Point USA (TPUSA) until the case is resolved and that the ruling is the first step in making the preliminary injunction permanent.”

Gaines celebrated the temporary victory in a video statement on X Wednesday afternoon. She said the university tried to charge her nearly $10,000 in security fees. She first thought it was normal, but later discovered it was just a tactic shut out conservative speakers.  Gaines said soon after her event, the college allowed a drag queen event, and didn’t charge them anything for security costs.

“Big win for free speech!!!!! We sued University of New Mexico for viewpoint discrimination, and we’ve temporarily won. Onward! 🫡”

WATCH her comments below:

Law professor Jonathan Turley weighed in on the case, writing, “The ruling against the University of New Mexico is a notable victory for free speech in creating additional precedent against the use of security fees as a deterrent to groups in inviting targeted speakers like Riley Gaines.”

Turning Point USA wrote, “A WIN FOR FREE SPEECH: A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the University of New Mexico, preventing it from imposing security fees on the @tpusastudents chapter for an event featuring @Riley_Gaines_. The ruling responds to claims that the fees discriminated against conservative viewpoints.”

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