Apodaca v. White

California State University–San Marcos officials have funded pro-abortion and other favored views with almost $300,000 in mandatory fees charged of all students, but denied Students for Life $500 in funding to host a visiting speaker on “Abortion and Human Equality” to provide a contrasting view. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit, on behalf of Students for Life and its campus president, Nathan Apodaca, who are prevented from bringing pro-life speakers to campus under the university’s discriminatory funding policies.

Case Timeline

• March 2017: Nathan is denied funding for his Students for Life chapter’s event. That same year, the Gender Equity Center and LGBTQA Pride Centers received over $296,000 from the university in mandatory student fees. Due to lack of funding, Nathan was forced to cancel the event.
• May 2017: Nathan and Students for Life at San Marcus filed a lawsuit against California State Universities for violating the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.
• August 2019: A federal court ruled in Nathan’s favor, striking down CSUSM’s policy.
• January 2020: CSUSM agreed to change its funding-distribution policies to prevent viewpoint-based discrimination. Additionally, it agreed to stop funding the Gender Equity Center and the LGBTQA Pride Center with mandatory student fees. California State Universities, America’s largest four-year public university system, also ordered all 23 of its campuses to revise their policies to follow the requirements of the First Amendment.