Arizona community college student Brittany Mirelez filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging the free speech zone at Paradise Valley Community College violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. As reported by The Daily Caller on Sunday, Mirelez’s rights were violated after a student life administrator would not allow her to promote Young Americans for Liberty.
The following statements from policy experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Jim Lakely, director of communications, at [email protected] and 312/377-4000.
“Brittany Mirelez should be commended for her decision to file a lawsuit against the Maricopa Community College governing board and Paradise Valley Community College for depriving her of her First Amendment rights to promote Young Americans for Liberty on campus. Ms. Mirelez’s actions should inspire other students who are targets of policies against free speech rights to consider similar legal actions.
“No taxpayer-funded institution should be allowed to diminish free speech rights in its buildings. The Maricopa Community College governing board should be encouraged to support a resolution that reaffirms free speech rights on campus while the lawsuit is being adjudicated in federal court.”
Kyle Maichle
Project Manager for Constitutional Reform
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“Ms. Mirelez is correct, she does not need permission from Paradise Valley Community College to exercise her God-given right of freedom of speech. When the government can dictate when and where you are free to share your views, you are no longer a free citizen, but a subject. Paradise Valley Community College should resolve to reaffirm freedom of speech as a natural right for all students and faculty.”
Lennie Jarratt
Project Manager, Education
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“Three cheers for Ms. Mirelez for bringing forward this lawsuit. No student at any college at any time should be strong-armed by some local campus Obersturmführer about where and when they can exercise their constitutionally enshrined and protected right to free speech. Colleges are supposed to nurture and support the free exchange of ideas, not shut it down. Hopefully, Ms. Mirelez’s action has the dual effect of ending the un-American free-speech zone at Paradise Community College while simultaneously helping other students to find the courage necessary to fight freedom-of-speech restrictions on their campuses.”
Tim Benson
Policy Analyst
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
The Heartland Institute is a 31-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.