Lawsuit FILED: University censors Christian student

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” goes a famous expression about free speech.
 
But today, our nation’s public universities have a different mantra: “I not only disapprove of what you say, but I will keep you from saying it.”
 
That’s exactly what officials at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) did to one of their recent master’s program graduates, Maggie DeJong. They censored Maggie because of her religious and political views, violating her free speech and due process rights.
 
https://go.adflegal.org/l/414972/2022-06-08/4zltgl/414972/1654705216G66dlVT1/adf_maggie_dejong_59_52053279846_o__2_.jpg

Last week, we filed a lawsuit against SIUE officials on Maggie’s behalf to correct the violation of her constitutional rights. We also asked a federal court to declare unconstitutional portions of the university's policy wielded to punish Maggie.
 
What happened to Maggie shouldn’t happen to any student.

Maggie spent the last three years pursuing her master’s degree in Art Therapy Counseling at SIUE. Her goal? To one day counsel child trauma victims.

But while she was a student, the school informed Maggie that three students had taken out a “no contact order” against her. SIUE forbade Maggie from engaging with the three students and denied her constitutional right to defend herself against their allegations.

Maggie was prevented from speaking to them in their shared class, at their jobs in the same building, and in public spaces under threat of further punishment from the school.

Maggie was given no reason why. That’s when she first contacted ADF. We sent a demand letter to the school to have the orders rescinded and find out why they were even issued in the first place.

Here’s what we learned: The University issued the orders because certain students claimed they were offended by her speech on topics including religion, politics, critical race theory, and COVID-19 regulations.

Maggie was punished simply for expressing her beliefs—beliefs held by millions of Americans.

Maggie did not break any school policy or rule. She always engaged in respectful and loving conversations with her classmates. But university officials ignored her rights and disciplined her based solely on her protected speech.

<i>Email from info@adflegal.org </i>

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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