Opinion of the Court
Univeristies Can Mandate Students Pay Activity Fees That May Support Political Activities
This case was granted certiorari on March 29, 1999, and was reversed on March 22, 2000. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that the First Amendment is not violated when a public university mandates that students pay activities fees that are used, in part, to support student organizations that engage in political activities. The following is excerpted from the summary of the majority opinion written by Justice Kennedy, as prepared by the Court Reporter of Decisions:The First Amendment permits a public university to charge its students an activity fee used to fund a program to facilitate extracurricular student speech,…
