Campus Preacher Wins Appeal

An appeals court has sided with a preacher against a Tennessee school that said he couldn't give out tracts or speak on campus without a two week wait. John McGlone was forced to leave Tennessee Technical University. He filed a lawsuit and it was thrown out by a judge. But the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals says the state school's speaking permit rules are unconstitutional. The three-judge panel ruled campus sidewalks are a “public forum” and therefore any regulation on the content of speech is unconstitutional, unless justified by a “significant” government interest. Even the school's own lawyers admited the 14 day waiting period is burdensome and overly long.