Chairman Goodlatte Continues to Press Public Colleges and Universities to Update Free Speech Codes

Washington, D.C.— House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) today sent a letter to thirty-three public colleges and universities requesting a response to a previous letter sent by the House Judiciary Committee in August, urging the schools to update their speech codes. The original letter was distributed to 161 public colleges and universities following a report from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which listed public colleges and universities that received a “red light” rating. FIRE classifies a “red light” institution as “one that has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.” A small number of institutions have not yet responded to the original letter. In the letter today, Chairman Goodlatte urges these institutions to respond in order to assess how Congress may address the free speech issues occurring on the campuses of public colleges and universities. The Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice held a hearing in June of 2015, entitled, “First Amendment Protections on Public College and University Campuses,” which addressed many of the issues brought forth in the report issued by FIRE. Below is the text of the letter. A copy of the signed letter can be found here.

Dear Presidents, Chancellors, and Staff, On August 14, 2015, your institution received a letter from the Committee regarding your school’s “red light” rating from of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (“FIRE”). The Committee requested a response to the letter by August 28, 2015. According to FIRE, a “red light” institution “is one that has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.” FIRE defines a “clear” restriction as a policy that on its face is a threat to free speech and “does not depend on how the policy is applied.” FIRE defines a “substantial” restriction as a policy that is “broadly applicable” to speech on campus. Since August, the Committee has received responses from more than 100 public colleges and universities. Your institution is among the small number of institutions that has not yet responded. The Committee again requests a response on this important matter.

Click here to read the previous letter sent by Chairman Goodlatte.