Florida college, students settle free-speech suit
By The Associated Press
06.19.02
MIAMI — Five students who sued Miami-Dade Community College, claiming that its literature-distribution policy violated their First Amendment rights, have settled with the college, a civil liberties group said June 14.
The students filed a complaint against the school in 1999 after they were detained and threatened with arrest for distributing religious literature — business cards with an organization's name and telephone number — without approval.
The college's policy required students to provide the literature for review, fill out an application detailing their name, their organizational affiliation and the purpose of their distribution, and then wait seven days for approval.
The settlement was approved by a federal judge May 24.
Under its terms, any person can distribute literature anywhere on campus without the college's permission. The college also is barred from reviewing the content of the literature.
"Big Brother has no business telling students when and what they can say," said Mathew Staver, the attorney who represented the students for Liberty Counsel. "Requiring speech to be preapproved essentially silences the speaker."
Anthony Fiorenzo, student life director at Miami-Dade's Kendall campus, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
Attorney Karen Brimmer, who represented the college in the lawsuit, was out of the office and also didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
On July 19, 1999, several students tried to distribute a business card listing the telephone number of a local Christian organization.
Campus security guards approached the students and told them they could not distribute the literature on the school's property.
When the students returned days later to hand out more cards, they were met by other security guards, a police officer who threatened to arrest them and administrative personnel who threatened disciplinary action if they did not leave.