Donate
Summary
In 2016, Georgia Gwinnett College officials stopped student Chike Uzuegbunam not once, but twice, from peacefully sharing his Christian faith with fellow students on his college campus. First, officials said he had to get advance permission to use one of two tiny speech zones that made up far less than 1% of the campus and were only open 10% of the week. Despite following these policies, Chike was again prevented from speaking. After ADF challenged the unconstitutional policies, Georgia Gwinnett argued that Chike’s speech should receive no constitutional protection, changed its policy, and claimed it should be able to avoid any penalty for violating Chike’s free speech rights. Two courts agreed. The Supreme Court heard arguments in this case on January 12, 2021. Now, we are awaiting its decision.
Watch
Religious Freedom
See the Sketches: Supreme Court Oral Arguments Then Vs. NowWhile it’s easy to see the differences between the oral arguments in Masterpiece and Uzuegbunam, the similarities shouldn’t be understated.
Religious Freedom
What Are Nominal Damages Anyway? These 5 Quotes from Chike’s Oral Arguments Help ExplainTo understand why the outcome of this case should matter to you, here are a few key quotes from oral arguments that help explain the importance of nominal damages.
Religious Freedom
4 Questions with the Attorney Who Argued Chike’s Case at the U.S. Supreme CourtADF General Counsel Kristen Waggoner argued Chike’s case before the Court. We sat down with her after oral arguments to ask her a few questions.
Life
Bruni v. City of PittsburghThough flawed, 3rd Circuit decision left standing makes clear city ordinance doesn’t apply to pro-life sidewalk counselors
Religious Freedom
Chemeketa Students for Life v. Members of the Chemeketa Board of EducationOregon college sued for censoring student speech, restricting it to 1.5% of campus
Life
The Frederick Douglass Foundation v. District of ColumbiaPro-life groups sue DC for censoring, arresting students chalking on public sidewalks
Legal Documents
Biographies
Kristen K. Waggoner
General Counsel
Kristen K. Waggoner serves as General Counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom. Her role includes oversight of the U.S. legal division, a team of 100 attorneys and staff who engage in litigation, public advocacy, and legislative support.
John Bursch
Senior Counsel, Vice President of Appellate Advocacy
John Bursch is vice president of appellate advocacy and senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom.
Tyson Langhofer
Senior Counsel, Director of the Center for Academic Freedom
Tyson C. Langhofer serves as senior counsel and director of the Center for Academic Freedom with Alliance Defending Freedom.
Additional Resources
One-page summary
SCOTUSblog case page: Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski
Adam Liptak: A College’s ‘Free Speech Areas’ Face Supreme Court Review (The New York Times, 2020-08-17)
John Bursch: Supreme Court to decide if constitutional rights are only valuable when a price tag is on them (Washington Times, 2020-07-15)
Matt Lamb: New Supreme Court case could make it easier for students to defend free-speech rights (The College Fix, 2020-07-14)
Travis C. Barham: Georgia College Remains Unchastened For Saying Handing Out Pamphlets Is ‘Disorderly Conduct’ (The Federalist, 2020-04-27)
Chike Uzuegbunam: Atheists, Jews, Muslims, Catholics all asking Supreme Court to defend rights my college violated (Daily Wire, 2020-04-07)
Donate to help ADF defend people like you.
Make a DonationJoin our Newsletter and always stay up to date.
Join Now