Seattle University: Law School Abdicates Authority, Lets Students Decide Whether to Revoke Federalist Society Recognition Based on Viewpoint
Cases
Seattle University
Case Overview
Following the January 6, 2021, protests and riots at the United States Capitol, an SU Law student asked the law school to revoke the Federalist Society chapter’s recognition because the student group would not denounce Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, both former FedSoc members, for objecting to the election’s certification. In response, the law school’s dean suggested that the law school’s student government should resolve the matter. After ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵAPP¹ÙÍø twice wrote to the law school seeking clarification, SU Law Dean Annette Clark told First Amendment News that the student government will implement a policy stating that all student organization recognition decisions are viewpoint-neutral, adding that the administration would not permit viewpoint-discriminatory policies.